CSI Phantom
by CSIalchemist
Summary: Danny and his friends offer their services to Mac's team when a murder takes place at a ghost hunters convention. Can Mac put his trust in the teenage halfa? And why are ghosts from Mac's team haunting Danny? First story. Please RXR
1. A Ghostly Warning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, CSI NY or any other movie or TV show that will be mentioned in this story! I just wrote this because I love both shows!  
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><p><strong>CSI: Phantom<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**A Ghostly Warning**

The noise of New York traffic can be heard from the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel as four certain teenagers entered the lobby. The oldest of the four, Jasmine Fenton or "Jazz" as everyone calls her, turns to the other three.

"Why don't you guys go sit down while I get us checked in?"

"Sure, Sis," yawned Jazz's younger brother, Daniel or "Danny" as he prefers to be called.

Danny and his best friends Tucker Foley and Samantha "Sam" Manson went to the couches, dragging their luggage in tow. They plopped down, exhausted. Danny was not your average everyday teenager. In reality he can change into his half-ghost alter ego, Danny Phantom.

"Remind me again why we're going to this stupid ghost convention?" whined Sam.

"Because my parents were banned for life last year for destroying half the Chicago Convention Center," said Danny. "They thought a guy dressed as a Ghost Pokémon was a real ghost."

"Let me guess: they now want us to go to GhostCon in their place," said Sam.

"Bingo," replied the raven-haired teenager.

"Which Ghost Pokémon?" asked Tucker.

"I don't know. They don't know Pokémon!"

Jazz walked towards the trio with room keys in hand. "We'll be on the fourth floor. Room 410 will go to Sam and me. You and Tucker will get Room 411." She tossed a room key to each member of the trio.

Team Phantom went into the elevator and up to their respective rooms. Bidding each other good night they disappeared into their respective rooms, hoping for once they can enjoy an uneventful vacation.

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><p>Danny's ghost sense went off at around three in the morning, waking him up. Not wanting to wake up Tucker, Danny transformed into Danny Phantom. His pajamas were replaced with a black jumpsuit complete with white boots, white gloves, and a white DP insignia on his chest. Turning intangible, Phantom flew out of the window and came face to face with the ghost of a woman Danny has never met before. She looked to be in her late 20s and Danny could see she was Italian American. She had her arms crossed with a serious look on her face.<p>

Danny stared at her with an equally serious face. "Can I help you?"

The woman smirked. She raised her hands, showing she was unarmed. "You can start by taking it easy, kid. I'm not here to pick a fight." There was a small hint of a Long Island accent in her voice.

Danny didn't buy it. "If that's the case, then why are you floating in front of my hotel room? It's the middle of the night!"

The woman chuckled. "It's called the 'City That Never Sleeps' for a reason."

"Don't change the subject! Why are you here?" Danny was getting annoyed now.

"All right," the woman sighed, "I came to warn you."

"Warn me? About what?" asked Danny now confused.

"Something is going to happen at GhostCon tomorrow," the woman said, now serious again.

"What's going to happen?" asked Danny.

"I don't know exactly, just that something fishy is going to happen tomorrow and it won't be pretty."

"And how do you know this?"

"I saw three talking green vultures talking amongst themselves back in the Ghost Zone. Something about their boss trying an experiment during GhostCon tomorrow. I overheard one of them saying that the 'Ghost Kid,'" she added air-quotes at that, "would be in New York City and that their boss should be on his toes. I already knew that they were talking about you."

Danny didn't have to ask how she knew he was the Ghost Kid. Danny had quite a reputation in the Ghost Zone. Wait… three talking green vultures? His thoughts immediately went to his archenemy and rival, Vlad Masters aka Vlad Plasmius.

"I know those vultures," said Danny, "They work for a ghost by the name of Vlad Plasmius. He hires them to do his dirty work, which I don't know why he hires them in the first place because Plasmius is plenty strong without henchmen."

"I take it you and your friends are going to investigate?" asked the woman.

"I'll see what I can do."

"That's good enough for me, Danny Phantom," she smiled and started to fly away.

"Wait! Who are you?"

"Detective Aiden Burn."


	2. Murder at GhostCon

**Chapter 2**

**Murder at GhostCon**

Detective Mac Taylor sat at the kitchen table in his apartment reading the newspaper, quietly sipping his coffee with his breakfast. Nothing new going on in New York today: the economy still sucks, the Middle East was still in shambles. Nothing new! The only interesting things going on in New York were a ghost hunters' convention today and Lucy pulled the football away from Charlie Brown again. Half an hour later Taylor left his apartment, ready to continue protecting the city.

"Dude, why didn't you wake me?" asked Tucker after Danny finished telling his friends and sister about his late night encounter with Detective Burn. Team Phantom was in the lobby, eating breakfast.

"In case you forgot Tuck, our room doesn't have a balcony and you can't fly," said Danny.

"Are you going to look into it?" asked Sam, "I mean we all know you've had bad experiences with ghosts who are law enforcers." Every encounter Danny and his friends had with Walker immediately came to mind. They shuddered at the thought.

"And judging from what you've told us, we can't say for sure if we should believe her," concluded Jazz as she took another bite of her waffle.

"Well, I noticed there was a police badge clipped to her hip," Danny pointed out, "but it was dark so I couldn't see her badge number. And I was floating, what, 500 feet from the ground?"

Sam took a sip of her orange juice. "Do you think it's an NYPD badge?"

"I don't know. I don't know what one looks like."

"You need to watch more crime shows," muttered Sam.

Danny turned to Tucker. "Do you think you can look up anything about Detective Burn on your laptop?" Tucker didn't always carry his PDA.

The techno-geek grinned. "Piece of cake. More specifically pancakes." At that he took another large bite of his stack of pancakes."

The gang went back to their rooms to get ready for GhostCon. Tucker, meanwhile, sat on his bed looking for anything about Detective Burn on his laptop.

"I got something" Tucker exclaimed.

Danny called Jazz and Sam from their room. The four of them looked at Tucker's computer to see what he found on the spectral detective. What they found was not pretty.

"Wow. She got fired for planting evidence involving a serial rapist," Sam said, amazed that a good cop would do such a thing.

"It says here that she was doing whatever it took to get this guy off the street," Tucker read from the article.

"She must have been very persistent," Jazz pointed out.

"Well that persistency must have what got her killed," said Tucker grimly. He clicked on another article. The next article told of how the CSI's found evidence linking the serial rapist to a car fire victim. The article featured a picture of the victim.

"That's her!" Danny exclaimed. "She's the one who I met last night."

Jazz cringed. "She was burned beyond recognition. They identified her using dental records and facial reconstruction. That's so sad."

"I wonder why she picked now to return to New York?" asked Sam, "I thought she was at peace."

"What makes you think she's at peace?" asked Danny.

"If someone I've been tracking killed me and you guys managed to put him away for life, I would be at peace." Good point.

"She's probably been watching out for her former teammates since she died," Jazz guessed. At that moment a pop-up reminder for GhostCon appeared on Tucker's screen.

"I guess we'll have to find out what Vlad has in mind at GhostCon today," said Tucker as he turned off his laptop. Time to go into the inferno.

Mac sat at his desk going through paperwork that hasn't moved from his desk since yesterday. Danny Messer knocked on the glass door before walking into his office **(A/N: I'll call Danny Messer by his last name to avoid confusion)**.

"Adam wishes to take off early," Messer started.

Mac frowned. "Any particular reason why?"

"He wants to go to this ghost convention thing today but he's too scared to ask because he thinks that the fact that he wants to take the day off to goof off with some Ghostbusters ain't a valid excuse in your book." Messer explained.

"He's right," said Mac. "Adam is not leaving early to go to some convention. I don't want a tongue-lashing from Sinclair saying that I shouldn't have let Adam leave early to goof off if he wants to keep his job."

Messer cringed at the memory of when Adam almost lost his job due to budget cuts. Mac's phone beeped, announcing he got a text message. His eyebrows went up.

"Looks like you and I are the ones going to that ghost convention after all," said Mac. "Homicide at Javits Convention Center."

**1 hour earlier**

Danny hadn't felt this nervous since after the accident in his parents' lab. The Jarvis Convention Center was filled with several stands and booths advertising whatever ghost hunting equipment was displayed. To make matters worse the Guys in White were also there so avoiding them was going to be a challenge. Every kind of ghost enthusiast was at the convention: movie fans, ghost hunters (of course), exorcists, mediums, and those nut jobs on the street corner.

"Would you relax Danny?" Sam said irritably. The team was setting up their stand for Fenton Works.

"It's kind of hard to with every ghost enthusiast in one room," said Danny nervously.

"And the fact that Vlad is up to no good again doesn't help," Tucker added.

"Just help us set this up."

Danny got some of his parents gadgets out of a box along with a poster board that explained how each gadget worked from the Fenton Thermos to the Jack O' Nine Tails.

"How are we going to show everyone how these work if there are no ghosts around?" asked Danny.

"We'll just wait for a ghost to show up and then we'll give everyone a demonstration," answered Tucker.

Sam noticed that someone was missing from their group. "Where's Jazz?"

"She went to the bathroom," replied Danny. A split second the three of them heard a blood-curdling scream.

"JAZZ!"

Danny and his friends dropped what they were doing and ran towards the source of the scream. Eventually, they stopped in front of the women's restroom. Well this makes things more difficult.

"I'll go in," Sam said running into the bathroom.

"Dang," muttered Tucker.

Danny frowned. "Save sister now, joke later!"

Sam came out of the bathroom looking very pale. "Call 911!"

Danny panicked. "What's wrong? Is Jazz-?"

"She found a dead body!" Looks like Detective Burn wasn't kidding.


	3. Taylor Meets Fenton

**I DO NOT own Danny Phantom or CSI: NY! I only own this story.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Taylor Meets Fenton**

"I've heard of Ghostbusters, but this is ridiculous!" exclaimed Detective Don Flack as Mac and his co-worker Jo Danville entered the building.

"This is for those who actually _believe_ that ghosts exist," replied Mac. Jo stared at him.

"And how do you know this?" she asked skeptically.

"Don't you read the newspaper?" Mac asked. He turned to Flack. "What do we have?"

"Girl goes to the bathroom and finds what her friend describes as 'one of Samara's victims,'" explained Flack.

"Samara?" asked Mac completely confused.

"Don't you watch the movies?" asked Jo mockingly. "Samara is an evil ghost who kills whoever watches her cursed videotape. You watch the tape, you die in a week."

Mac and Flack **(A/N: Ha! That rhymes!)** stared at Jo shocked that she knew something about a ghost. And this is coming from someone who doesn't believe in ghosts!

"I took my son Tyler and his friends to see the movie 'The Ring' for his birthday," she explained. An awkward silence followed.

"So," said Mac getting back to the murder victim, "who is our victim?"

"Our vic's name is Ramona Smith, 62 years old. Believed to be an exorcist. Scam artist if you ask me," Flack answered.

"Who found her?"

"Jasmine Fenton, 17 years old. Came with her brother and friends from Amity Park, Indiana." Flack gestured toward the girl and her companions.

Mac glanced at the four teenagers sitting on a bench. Jasmine, who had long red hair with a black headband, was crying into a boy's shoulder. Mac assumed that the boy was her brother. The boy had raven black hair and had icy blue eyes. The siblings' companions were a girl wearing Gothic attire and an African American boy wearing think framed glasses and a red beret. They both looked to be about the brother's age.

Mac approached them.

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><p>Jazz was crying into Danny's shoulder. Danny hasn't seen her cry this hard since their dad accidentally flushed her pet goldfish down the toilet. Sam sat next to Jazz's other side, rubbing her back comfortingly. Tucker offered her a tissue.<p>

Danny glanced at the three detectives. _Quite a serious bunch._ The first one appeared to be in his early 30s. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He also wore a suit and tie. The second one, a woman, had short brown hair with a calm demeanor look on her face. The third one had a serious demeanor from head to toe. He seemed to be giving off a no-nonsense vibe. Just looking at him made Danny nervous. The serious looking detective then approached the halfa and his friends.

"Jasmine Fenton?" asked the detective knealing in front of the group. Jazz's tear stained face rose to meet the detective's.

"J-Jazz." Jazz sobbed.

"I'm her younger brother, Danny. And these are my friends Tucker Foley and Sam Manson." Danny gestured towards his friends.

"Nice to meet you all." The detective replied. "My name is Detective Mac Taylor. I'm head of the crime lab. I'm sorry about what happened to you all."

"Thanks," mumbled Sam.

"I must ask you though," Mac continued. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Jazz sniffed and took a slow deep breath. "W-We were setting up our stand for GhostCon and I went to the bathroom. When I went past one of the stalls, I noticed that someone was lying on the floor. I knocked on the stall door to see if she was okay and it was open. Then I saw h-her l-l-like that." She burst into tears again. Tucker gave her another tissue.

"It will be alright, Jazz," Sam said comfortingly.

"Did you see or hear anything before you found the woman?" asked Mac. Danny tensed. He immediately remembered Detective Burn's warning. Could this be what she was talking about?

Mac also saw Danny tense. Mac gave Danny a look that screamed, "Tell me."

"W-Well," Danny stuttered glancing at Sam and Tucker for help. Their eyes were the size of saucers thinking he was going to tell the detective about Aiden Burn. "We kind of… got an anonymous tip that something bad was going to happen at GhostCon."

Mac raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "An anonymous tip?" he asked. He sounded like he didn't believe Danny. Sam glared at Mac.

"You can believe us or not. We're just telling you what we know."

"Very well," said Mac. "However, you four are going to have to come with us to answer more questions."

"What?" exclaimed a panicked Tucker.

"We're going to the station to answer questions, not spend the night in juvie!" muttered Sam as the teens stood up.

"This is Detective Flack," Mac introduced Flack to Team Phantom. "He will take you to the precinct."

"What about our stuff?" asked Danny.

"Which stand is yours?" asked Mac.

"Fenton Works."

"I'll get an officer to bring your belongings to you at the precinct."

"Um, if it's okay with you, Detective, I would like to get to get them myself. Some of those inventions are sensitive and the last thing I want is for you or any of your officers going to the ER for pressing the wrong button." Danny did not want to spend the night in jail for neglecting to put his parents' inventions away and an officer got hurt because of it. They could get stolen, or as Danny pointed out someone could get hurt. Not to mention he would be grounded for a month.

Seeing that the boy would not take no for an answer, Mac agreed to help Danny pack his parents' ghost hunting equipment.

"I'll meet you guys there," Danny called out to his friends and sister.

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><p>Mac could tell that something was bothering Danny. Who was Danny's anonymous source? Should Mac believe Danny's story? From past experiences Mac knows that teenagers tend to lie when talking with cops. Not that it didn't matter, the truth always comes out eventually. Still, Mac could tell that getting information out of this teen was not going to be easy. Perhaps making idle chitchat with the boy will be helpful. The least Danny could do was give the former Marine some kind of hint, anything he can work with.<p>

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Mac startling Danny.

"I think so. My sister might need a little more time to get over it. It's not everyday, you see a dead person." This is partially true on Danny's part. He's only seen a dead person's _ghost_ (Desiree and Sydney Poindexter were perfect examples) not a dead person's _body_. Mac, however, sees dead people all the time whenever he goes to the morgue.

"Aren't you kids a little young to hunt ghosts?" asked Mac changing the subject. Might as well play along with the ghost thing.

"Nah," Danny replied casually. "To tell you the truth, we're _way_ more experienced than both my parents combined."

"So why aren't they here?"

"They got banned last year. It's a long, embarrassing story." Danny did not want to tell the story again.

They reached the Fenton Works stand and Danny went to work. He took down the poster board and started putting away all of his parents' inventions.

Mac picked up what appeared to be a thermos. He looked at Danny questioningly.

"Fenton Thermos," Danny explained. "You use it to catch ghosts."

"Okay. And this?" Mac picked up a baseball bat.

"Fenton Anticreep Stick."

Mac looked it over. "It looks like an ordinary baseball bat."

"A baseball bat with the word Fenton on it," Danny replied proudly. Mac chuckled, surprising Danny. Mac didn't seem like the laughing type. Well as Sam once said, "Looks are deceiving."

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><p><strong>If I recall correctly, Amity Park is located on the Indiana and Ohio border. It's on Phantom Planet, right? More soon!<br>**


	4. Getting to Know Each Other

****_Italics_** are a character's thoughts. Well, here's the fourth chaper! Enjoy! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Getting to Know Each Other**

Flack looked at the three teenagers in the back of his car. They all looked really nervous. _'Must be their first time in a cop car.'_ He was surprised that the Gothic girl looked nervous. He always thought kids wearing black or anything punkish meant trouble. The crying girl, Jasmine Fenton, stopped crying but her face and eyes were red and puffy from crying. The African American boy looked so scared, Flack was afraid the boy would wet himself.

Flack tried to make them relax. "Relax kids. Detective Taylor just wants to ask you a few questions at the station."

The Gothic girl- Sam was it? – glared at Flack. "If he wants to talk to us so badly, why couldn't he just do it from behind the yellow tape?"

_'Yikes! If looks could kill!'_ "He doesn't want you kids to get in the way. The ME and the CSI's need to look at the body and process the crime scene. Kind of hard when there are kids in the way."

"Whatever you're thinking, we had nothing to do with that dead lady!" exclaimed the boy. _'What was his name? Tucker?'_

"TUCKER!" exclaimed both girls. _'Yep. I thought that was his name.'_

"Do you want to be a _suspect_?" asked Sam. "If you say you didn't do it, then they'll be even more suspicious. Don't you watch TV?"

_'Wow, she's smarter than she looks!'_

Jasmine Fenton then mumbled to Sam, "Do you think this is what Detective Burn meant when she said that something bad would happen at GhostCon?"

"Shhhhh!"

The mentioning of Aiden's name made Flack almost hit an oncoming taxi, resulting with the taxi honking its horn. He had good hearing. He heard every word of that question.

"Geez! Does every New Yorker drive like this?" asked Sam.

"You'll get used to it," Flack casually replied. As he was driving, he was deep in thought. How do these kids know Aiden? She was the only Detective Burn that he knew of. Either these kids knew her or there's another Detective Burn on the force. Hopefully it's just a coincidence. Maybe there's a Detective Burn in Amity Park. Either way Mac and the others would want to know about this.

Danny spent the last half-hour explaining how every Fenton invention worked to Detective Taylor. He seemed impressed with Danny's parents' inventions. It looked like Taylor favored the Fenton Anticreep Stick above the others. Danny felt a little more comfortable around the detective. _'He's not so bad once you get to know him.'_

Inventions packed and boxed, Mac helped Danny take the boxes to the SUV. On the way out of the building, the two bumped into three more people who Danny assumed were the CSI's and the ME.

The ME was an African American man who appeared to be in his mid-20s. _'Weird. He looks like he could still be in college.' _The other man had messy brown hair and had a rugged appearance. The third one, a woman, had short light brown hair. Danny could see a pattern forming. _'First Detectives Taylor and Flack and that other lady, now these guys!'_

The messy haired detective spoke first. "I had no idea you were into the supernatural, Mac."

'_Wow! This guy's accent just screams Long Island.'_

Mac chuckled. "No, Danny, I'm just helping Mr. Fenton here with his things. His sister found our vic in the bathroom. Flack is with her."

Danny automatically turned to Mac confused.

Mac noticed chuckling. "Danny Fenton, this is Detective Danny Messer and his wife Lindsay Messer."

"Nice to meet you," said Danny shaking both Messer's and Lindsay's hands.

"You're name is also Danny, huh?" asked Lindsay. "Is it alright if we call you Daniel to avoid confusion?"

"Um, okay." Danny normally does not like it when people call him Daniel, particularly Vlad, but since Detective Messer is also named Danny he'll have to make an exception.

"I'm Dr. Sheldon Hawkes," the ME spoke up.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Hawkes," said Danny shaking hands.

"Just call me Hawkes."

Danny grinned already liking this trio of law enforcers. He noticed the kits the two CSI's and ME were carrying.

"What's with the kits?"

"Lindsay and Danny are going to process and analyze the scene, gathering evidence along the way," Mac explained, "Hawkes will check out the body and figure out the cause and time of death."

"You mean, like, find gunshot wounds or stab wounds and see which one caused her death?"

"That is correct."

"Hawkes has to actually _touch_ the dead body?"

"Yes."

Danny shuddered. "Okay, that's just gross!"

The four officers burst out laughing.

"I like this kid already!" exclaimed Messer.

Jazz, Sam and Tucker all sat inside an interrogation room. Tucker was freaking out. He'd never been to a police station before and the fact that he's being questioned about a murder at GhostCon, which was cancelled for obvious reasons, only made it worse for him. Sam was a little nervous too. She remembered her parents telling her if she ever got arrested, even once, before she turned eighteen they would send her to an all-girls boarding school in Boston. Did this count? She wasn't placed under arrest but did coming in for questioning count? Jazz looked like she was going to cry again. She was always the well-behaved one. Did this go on some sort of record? If it did, would it affect her future? Are her hopes and dreams of being a college professor just go down the toilet?

A woman entered the room. She was the same woman who was with Detectives Flack and Taylor. She sat down in front of the trio.

"Miss Fenton, Miss Manson, and Mr. Foley, welcome. I'm Detective Jo Danville and I'll be asking you questions."

Tucker lost it. "I DON'T WANNA GO TO JUVIE! I'LL NEVER SURVIVE!"

Jo nearly jumped out of her seat. She was not expecting that! "Whoa! Calm down there, Mr. Foley! You're not going to juvie."

Tucker took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Sorry. You can call me Tucker by the way."

"Okay, Tucker," Jo agreed. She turned to Jazz and Sam. "I suppose I can call you two 'Samantha' and 'Jasmine.'"

"Sam."

"Jazz."

"Okay Sam, Tucker, and Jazz," Jo said calmly, "Could you each tell me in your own words what happened?"

"It's just what I told Detectives Flack and Taylor: I went to the bathroom, saw someone laying on the bathroom floor in one of the stalls, I knocked on the stall door to see if she was okay, the door opened, and there she was dead as a doornail."

Jo nodded. At least Jazz didn't change the story. She turned to Sam.

"Where were you, Sam, while Jazz was in the bathroom?"

"I was helping Tucker and Jazz's brother, Danny, set up our Fenton Works display for GhostCon. I noticed Jazz was gone and I asked Danny where she went and he said that she went to the bathroom. The moment he said it the three of us heard a scream, we dropped what we were doing and we went to investigate."

"How did you guys know it was Jazz who screamed?" Jo asked.

"Let's see: One, the scream sounded like a girl. Two, the Fenton Works display we were setting up was close to a door so we could hear which direction it was coming from. And three, Jazz's screaming isn't high-pitched like all those girls you watch get killed in horror movies." Sam explained irritably.

"You were only one who could enter the girls bathroom. What did you see when you went in?" asked Jo, ignoring Sam's tone of voice.

"I went in, saw Jazz sitting against the wall, staring at an open bathroom stall. I asked her what was wrong but she was too freaked out to answer. I turned to see what she was looking at and I saw a dead woman on the floor dressed like a Gypsy. She looked like a victim of Samara from 'The Ring.' I ran out of the bathroom, freaking out, and told Danny and Tucker to call 911."

Jo nodded. She then turned to Tucker. "What about you, Tucker?"

"Same story as Sam's except the going-into-the-girls-bathroom part."

Again Jo nodded. She stood up and thanked the kids and left the room.

"Does this mean we can go?"

"TUCKER! SHUT UP!"

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><p><strong>Hopefully, I'm doing well with this fanfic! This is my first ever so I hope you're enjoying it!<strong>


	5. Dead Friends, Green Goo, and a Vampire

**Ok! For some reason my doc manager on my account is not saving the changes I'm making to the story! I'm trying to insert horizontal lines but for some reason they're not showing up! Grrrrr...  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Dead Friends, Green Goo, and a Blue Vampire**

Jo entered the observation room next door to the interrogation room. Flack was also there looking into a window showing the three teenagers. He was deep in thought. How could they possibly know about Aiden? They were from Indiana. As far as Flack knew, Aiden has never been to Indiana or Amity Park for that matter.

"What do you think?" Jo asked snapping Flack out of train of thought. "Do you think they're lying?"

Flack sighed heavily. "Hard to say. That Tucker kid needs some backbone though." Jo giggled.

"I don't think I've ever met kids like them before," Flack solemnly said.

Jo looked at him confused. "How's that?"

"They mentioned the late Detective Aiden Burn while I was driving them here. Now either there's another Aiden Burn out there somewhere or these kids are messing with my head." Flack explained.

Jo furrowed her eyebrows. "I heard about what happened to Detective Burn. But how do they know her? They're all from Amity Park, Indiana. Do you think they met her before she died?"

"No, Aiden died in 2006. There's no way those kids would have known her. I heard them say Aiden warned them that something bad would happen at that convention," Flack explained.

"Well that doesn't make sense. How can someone die five years ago and come back to warn some random kids that danger was near?" asked Jo. This case was getting weirder and weirder.

Flack shrugged. "Maybe Aiden's ghost came to warn them?"

Jo hit him with a folder she was holding. "Come on, Jo! If it wasn't a ghost, then what?"

"I don't know," Jo replied, "But I do know that ghosts have nothing to do with this case!" With that, she left the room.

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><p>Hawkes has seen dead bodies in the weirdest positions before, from a body squished flat as a pancake to one sitting in a fetal position in Central Park, but this one just joined the top ten weirdest. What made it one of the weirdest? Ramona Smith was lying in front of the toilet <strong>(AN: Like when you're throwing up in the toilet and you're lying on the floor curled up in a ball, wishing it would stop)** her face was paler than death. The look on her face looked _exactly_ like Samara's victims. The white of her eyes were the only things visible in her eyes. Her hands were frozen on her face, like she was trying to claw it off. Her mouth was wide open, like she was screaming to the top of her lungs.

Messer appeared behind Hawkes. "You think she watched the cursed videotape?"

Hawkes chuckled. "Most likely. But how are we going to prove that the ghost of an evil little girl killed this woman? Samara killed her victims by coming out of a TV. And the last time I checked there are no TVs anywhere in this bathroom."

Messer went on his haunches and noticed a long silver hair next to the body.

"Hey Linds! Make sure you get a picture of this!"

Lindsay came over with her camera in her hands. She knelt down on the floor and took a picture of the hair. Messer then grabbed some tweezers from this kit, using it to pick up the hair, and put it in an evidence bag. Lindsay noticed something else and quickly took a picture of it. She grinned. She knew her husband would notice it.

Hawkes continued examining the body. He noticed something on her neck. "Looks like we can rule Samara out as a suspect." Messer and Lindsay looked up. "Found an injection mark on the neck; right on the artery. Whatever was injected into her went right to her brain."

Messer flinched at the thought. "Ouch!"

"I'll have Sid take a closer look in Autopsy."

Lindsay spoke up. "Ever try calling Bloody Mary?"

"You mean that thing where you stand in front of the mirror in the dark and try to summon some dead lady?" asked Messer.

"Yes. They say if you call Bloody Mary's names three times, she'll appear in the mirror and kill you!" Lindsay replied trying to scare her husband and colleague.

Hawkes raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that some schoolgirl trick?"

"It was a popular craze at my elementary school." She went back to taking pictures of the crime scene. Messer got on his haunches and noticed a drop of some kind of glowing green substance. He got out a swab, wiping it on the glowing green drop.

"Boom!" Messer cheered, "Look what we got here!"

Lindsay took a look at the sample Messer found. "That was one of the first things I noticed here. You're lucky I already took a picture."

"And you didn't say anything why?"

"I wanted to see if you could find it," Lindsay replied.

"It's green and it's glowing. It wasn't that hard to miss," Messer smirked.

"What do you think it is?" Lindsay asked.

"Glow-in-the-dark paint?" Messer guessed. "Doc? Got any ideas?"

Hawkes took a look. "Nothing I've ever seen. Let's take it to the lab and see."

* * *

><p>Mac offered Danny a ride back to the station. The two of them put the Fenton Works boxes in the trunk of the car. Danny sat up front. He was growing to like the former Marine. Looks like Mac's little strategy was working. By getting Danny to open up to Mac a little he could earn the boy's trust. Getting the raven-haired teen to talk about his parents' inventions seemed like a perfect way to get him talking. Maybe Danny will reveal some of his personal secrets to Mac soon.<p>

They were about two blocks away from the station when Mac noticed out of the corner of his eye, some kind of blue mist escaped from Danny's mouth. _'Is he cold in here or am I seeing things?'_ Danny's expression on his face went from being relaxed and content to nervous and alert. _'What's he so worried about?'_

Danny's ghost sense went off. Hopefully, Detective Taylor didn't see that. If he did, how would Danny explain it? Without warning, a pink beam of energy blasted the side of Mac's car, blowing out one of the tires.

"SON OF A BITCH!" exclaimed the detective. He tried to gain control of the car but unfortunately crashed into a streetlight. The airbags deployed. Mac turned to Danny to see if he was okay. He was shocked and a little shaky but unharmed.

"Are you hurt?"

"I think so. You?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright," panted Mac trying to calm down so the adrenaline would pass.

The two got out of the car wondering what the cause of the crash was. Well, Danny already knew who it was. Who else is able to shoot pink ghost rays? Danny had to get away from Mac so he could turn into Phantom and drive Plasmius away. The boy dashed into a nearby alley.

"DANIEL!" Danny could hear Mac screaming his name as he ran. He soon heard Detective Taylor's footsteps following him. Danny stopped to catch his breath. Mac stopped as well, finally catching up him. How was he going to transform into Phantom with Detective Taylor nearby? He's never revealed his secret identity to someone he just met.

"Why did you run from the wreck? We're supposed to wait for paramedics to arrive!" Mac scolded. Danny should have known: Getting Detective Taylor angry is a STUPID thing to do!

"Yes, why did you run Daniel?" a cold, vicious voice asked. Danny knew that voice too well. A blue vampire ghost appeared out of thin air, floating about ten feet above the duo. His hair was black and styled to look like horns. His eyes were blood red, no pupils visible. He wore a white suit complete with a matching cape. He smiled an evil toothy grin. Vlad Plasmius.

* * *

><p>Mac was shocked. "How did he-?" The former Marine was interrupted with another pink ghost ray. Mac immediately drew his gun.<p>

"Oh, please Detective! That little toy of yours won't harm me!" said the vampire. Mac shot his gun in response. The creature turned intangible. The bullet easily passed through him like he wasn't even there. Mac fired two more shots. Same results.

"They never listen," sighed the blue vampire.

Vlad turned to Danny. "What's the matter, Daniel? Normally you would be attacking and insulting me at the same time. Why the hesitation?"

Mac was confused. Who was this vampire guy? What was he talking about? How does he know Danny? It seems this guy knows something about the boy that Mac didn't. He could tell Danny was hiding something, did this blue vampire know what it was? Without warning, the vampire turned to Mac and fired another pink ray, knocking the gun out of Mac's hand. The gun slid underneath a nearby dumpster. With no weapon to defend him, Mac slowly backed away from his attacker. If he could get the blue vampire away from Danny, then the boy could escape.

It wasn't working. The floating blue vampire continued shooting pink energy at Mac. He dodged every blast. How was he going to fight this guy if bullets can't hurt him? Mac hid behind a trashcan. _'This is tougher than I thought! If I live through this I'm going to make sure this bastard gets the maximum prison sentence!'_

The vampire fired at the trashcan, knocking it over, revealing Mac's hiding place. Mac looked at the vampire, then at Danny, then at his wrecked car. It looked like it was ten miles away when in reality it was only about a hundred feet away. It still sat in front of the streetlight. He dove behind another trashcan. He had to get to the car. It's a long shot but maybe, just maybe, he could get to the Fenton Works inventions that still sat in the trunk. _'If this vampire or whatever is a ghost, then one of Daniel's inventions would effect and, hopefully, hurt him at least.'_

Mac then remembered the first invention Danny told him about.

_"Fenton Thermos," Danny explained. "You use it to catch ghosts."_

That's it! If Mac could get his hands on the Fenton Thermos, he could catch this vampire thing and take him in for questioning. _'Considering if any of these inventions work! I can't believe I'm taking the word of a kid!'_ Mac silently counted to three and ran. He was halfway there when a blast hit him squarely in-between his shoulder blades. It felt like a major league baseball player threw a flaming baseball straight at him. Mac fell on the concrete, gritting his teeth in pain. He's felt worse; this was nothing compared to the wounds he sustained in Beirut.

He rolled over to face his opponent who was floating right over him. His back stung as he rolled over. _'Most likely a second degree a burn.' _ The vampire's hand, glowing with pink energy, was aimed right at Mac! He could get up and continue running but he was pretty sure he wouldn't get five feet closer to the car. One thing he knew: He did not want to die like this!

* * *

><p><strong>MAN! This is getting juicy! Before I can continue, I need you readers to answer a poll on my profile! Should I include Mac's dead wife, Claire, in the next chapter? I know <em>Phantom Sunshine<em> did something similar with Horatio and Marisol but I do NOT want to be a copycat! Should I include Claire?**


	6. Revelations

**Well, here ya go! HEAD'S UP: Finals are next week for me so there may or may not be updates. Don't cry I won't leave ya hanging forever! There will be an update or two this weekend.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Revelations**

As soon as Plasmius attacked Mac, Danny dashed into an abandoned doorway. He needed a plan. _'What should I do? I can't go ghost here! Detective Taylor is very observant. He'll know it's me as Phantom because there is no one else in this alley. But if I don't do anything soon…I'm pretty sure Detective Taylor will become the newest resident of the Ghost Zone.'_ He could tell Mac had a lot of experience in the field but could he handle a ghost, or a halfa in Plasmius's case? Danny heard a gunshot. He looked out from his hiding spot. Plasmius was taunting the detective, telling him that bullets won't work. Looked like Mac didn't believe him because he shot him two more times. The scene then turned into what Danny described as "Whack-a-Detective." It's only a matter of time before Plasmius hits him.

Danny's ghost sense went off again. Plasmius was here, yes, but was there someone else here?

"Please help him!" a desperate but gentle voice pleaded. Danny let out a small yelp and turned around. Another ghost was floating right in front of Danny. A woman with red hair looked at Danny pleadingly. She looked harmless. _'Okay, maybe I'm not the only one in this alley.'_

"I-I know I have to help Detective Taylor but it's complicated," explained Danny.

"I know you're really Danny Phantom!" exclaimed the ghost woman. "Please! Help my husband! Help Mac!"

"Wait! What?" Danny's eyes almost bugged out of his eye sockets. _'Detective Taylor was _married_?'_

"You're his wife?"

"His late wife, Claire. Long story," the woman said before Danny had a chance to ask what happened. "He can't die like this! He's stared death in the face before and he always had someone there to save him."

"What about you?" asked Danny. "I mean you're here now! Why can't you just go out there and save him?"

"He may not look like it, but he's been mourning my death for ten years. I've been silently watching him grieve and heal. I can tell he's been trying to move on. But if I show up now, all of that healing will be undone," Claire said, her voice filled with sadness and regret. Danny could tell she really wanted to help.

Tears were beginning to leak out of Claire's eyes. "As much as I would like to see him again, I don't think my becoming a ghost will give him peace of mind. His friends and colleagues are two blocks away. At this rate, they won't reach him in time. There is only you! You have to help him!"

Danny sighed. He could see no other way around it. He had to do it no matter what the consequences were going to be. But he was still afraid of Taylor's reaction. "How do you think he'll react when he sees me?"

"It might take awhile for it all to sink in, but I think he'll accept you, Phantom. Don't be surprised if he acts distrustful towards you at first. He's a good man."

"Thanks for the warning," said Phantom.

"Promise me you'll help him with this case. And don't tell him I was here. He'll probably ask you anyway."

"What should I say if he does ask me?"

"Tell him that I still love him in death as I did in life."

Phantom nodded. "I promise I'll help him," he said solemnly. With that, Claire Taylor thanked him and slowly faded away with a warm smile on her face.

The blue-eyed teenager looked out from his hiding spot again. Mac was making a run for the wrecked car. _'Hopefully to get my ghost hunting equipment.'_ Plasmius then fired a ghost ray at Mac's back. The detective fell to the ground and rolled over. Plasmius was floating over Mac, ready to deliver the final blow.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE PLASMIUS!"

* * *

><p>Mac heard Danny yell at the vampire he called Plasmius. The former Marine lifted his head and saw Danny with a serious look on his face standing in the alley.<p>

Plasmius turned towards the boy, his arm still aimed at Mac and smiled evilly. "Now, now Daniel! You should know that you must never get involved with a murder investigation lead by the NYPD. Especially since you're not even from New York. Don't you know that this man is so persistent, he will not let you or your friends go home until he's solved the case?"

"And don't you know that it's a felony to assault a police officer?" Danny said back.

Mac didn't understand. The boy was speaking to Plasmius like this isn't the first time they've met. The vampire turned back to Taylor.

"I'm just going to get this pesky detective out of the way and then I'll take care of you, little badger."

"Daniel! Get out of here! Run!" Mac shouted. He did not want Danny to see this.

"Sorry Detective," Danny apologized. "But I promised someone that I would help you and I'm not breaking it no matter what. And with that, I'M GOING GHOST!"

What Mac saw next left him speechless. A ring of white light appeared around Danny's waist. Splitting in two, one going up and the other going down, Danny's appearance changed completely. A black jumpsuit with white gloves, white boots, a white belt and a white DP insignia on his chest replaced his white t-shirt, baggy jeans, and red sneakers. His pale skin became slightly tanner, his icy blue eyes became neon green, and his raven-black hair became snow white.

'_What the hell?'_

* * *

><p>Phantom leapt into the air and fired a green ghost ray at Plasmius, knocking him to the ground. Phantom flew to Detective Taylor and helped him back on his feet. He surveyed the damage done to Mac. A few scrapes and bruises were visible. His jacket and shirt though will have to be replaced. A huge hole on the back of Taylor's shirt and jacket revealed a large burn mark. Phantom cringed. <em>'That's going to leave a mark.'<em>

Plasmius got up. He fired a blast of ectoenergy towards the duo. Phantom put up a ghost shield, protecting him and Mac.

"I'll keep Plasmius busy," Phantom said, "You get one of the weapons from the trunk. Oh, and call for backup. Make sure to tell them to bring my friends."

"You mean your sister and those other two who were with you?" asked Taylor.

"Who else?" Phantom answered. "Make sure to tell your buddies at the station to bring my friends with them. They'll know what to do!" Phantom then flew into the air and continued his fight with Plasmius.

Mac opened the trunk. The Fenton Works boxes were unharmed during the collision luckily. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Flack's number.

"Hey Mac! Where the hell are you? I need that last kid over here to put in an official statement."

"Flack, that's going to have to wait. Daniel and I were ambushed by some psycho dressed like a vampire," panted Mac.

"Holy crap Mac! You guys okay?" asked Flack now full of concern.

"The kid's okay but I'm pretty banged up."

"You want back up?"

"Just you and make sure to bring those kids with you."

"Mac did you get a concussion or something?" said Flack. "I can't bring those kids to you. What if they get caught in the crossfire?"

"Just bring them!" Mac yelled into his cell phone. "The Fenton kid said that they'd know what to do. I don't know what exactly, but the kid seems to know this psycho. Maybe his friends can shed some light for us."

"I don't know, Mac," Flack hesitantly said, "If Sinclair gets wind of this it will be both our necks and our badges."

"I'LL TAKE CARE OF SINCLAIR! JUST GET THOSE KIDS AND GET THE HELL OVER HERE! WE CAN'T HIM HOLD OUT MUCH LONGER!"

"Ah ah aaaaahhhh!" Plasmius mockingly scolded.

Mac looked up. Plasmius blasted Mac's cell phone out of his hand. The cell phone, obviously, was destroyed beyond repair. Phantom blasted Plasmius before he could gloat. Plasmius fired back almost instantly, knocking the teenage halfa out of the sky.

"What are you doing here in New York, Plasmius?" sneered Phantom.

"Why don't you ask your new detective friend?" Plasmius mockingly asked. "That's what he does. He'll figure out why I'm here because I'm not telling you anything!"

"Keep Detective Taylor out of this! He has nothing to do with this!" Danny exclaimed as he flew back into the air. He didn't even have time to ask Mac if he called for backup.

Mac looked through the Fenton Works inventions. He had the Thermos. Now the question is: How does it work? Can't really catch this psycho if he doesn't know how to work the one thing that can accomplish this task. He looked through the boxes. Nothing else seemed usable for him. _'If only there was a gun of some kind I could help Daniel. The one time I meet a kid who doesn't use guns, a gun is needed. Just my luck.' _

"Step away from those boxes of weapons before you hurt yourself," said a voice. Mac turned around. Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Jasmine Fenton, and Flack finally arrived!

* * *

><p>Team Phantom were sitting in front of Flack's desk, waiting for Danny and Detective Taylor to arrive so Flack can write down his official statement. He still wondered how these teenage "ghost hunters" knew about Aiden. He was positive that he heard her name.<p>

The teenagers were keeping themselves occupied. Well, two of them were. The Goth girl, Sam, was just looking at the various nut jobs Flack dealt with everyday going in and out of the room with a police officer. Jazz was looking at a pamphlet Jo was kind enough to give her to help her cope with today's events. Tucker was fiddling with his PDA. Well, as long as they're not complaining.

_'If Aiden_ is_ a ghost, does that mean there are more like her? Maybe Angell…'_ Flack shook the thought out of his head. He was NOT going to back to mourning Angell's death. He did not want to go through that again. If he did, Mac would kick his ass!

At that moment the phone on Flack's desk rang. Caller ID said it was Hawkes.

Flack answered it. "Hey Hawkes! What's up? Find anything?"

"Well, you were right about the woman looking like one of Samara's victims."

Flack chuckled. "So what? She died because she watched a cursed videotape?"

"Danny said the same thing. I can't really find an exact COD so I'm bringing the body to Autopsy. Hopefully Sid will have better luck."

"Good to know," said Flack. He heard a beep. Someone else was calling him. Flack glanced at caller ID. Mac. _'Finally!'_

"Hey listen Hawkes. Mac is calling. I'll drop by later for more details."

"All right." Hawkes hung up. _'Whatever happened to saying good-bye?'_

Flack pressed a button and spoke to Mac. "Hey Mac! Where the hell are you? I need that last kid over here to put in an official statement."

"Flack, that's going to have to wait. Daniel and I were ambushed by some psycho dressed like a vampire," panted Mac. Why does Mac sound like he just ran a marathon?

"Holy crap, Mac! You guys okay?" asked Flack now full of concern.

"The kid's okay but I'm pretty banged up."

"You want back up?"

"Just you and make sure to bring those kids with you."

"Mac did you get a concussion or something?" said Flack. "I can't bring those kids to you. What if they get caught in the crossfire?" Does Mac have any idea what would happen if Chief Sinclair found out about this?

"Just bring them!" Mac yelled into his cell phone. "The Fenton kid said that they'd know what to do. I don't know what exactly, but the kid seems to know this psycho. Maybe his friends can shed some light for us."

"I don't know, Mac," Flack hesitantly said, "If Sinclair gets wind of this it will be both our necks and our badges."

"I'LL TAKE CARE OF SINCLAIR! JUST GET THOSE KIDS AND GET THE HELL OVER HERE! WE CAN'T HOLD HIM OUT MUCH LONGER!"

Flack had to pull the phone away from his ear, Mac was yelling so loud! Well, if Mac knows what he's doing…

"Alright Mac, I'll bring them." A blast was heard from the other end of the line and then silence.

"Mac?"

Nothing.

"Mac!"

Still nothing.

"MAC!"

* * *

><p><strong>Awesome! Well, Danny learns that Mac was once married, and Mac knows Danny's secret!<strong> **Thanks for sharing your opinions. I brought Claire in to motivate Danny to trust Mac with his secret. I thought it gave the story a nice touch. More ghosts from the past will be coming soon!**


	7. Regroup

**Yay! New chapter! I'm not the best when it comes to battle scenes. Just imagine Phantom and Plasmius attacking and insulting each other while the events of this chapter take place. Enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Regroup**

Sam used to think school was boring but sitting at the police station all afternoon was way more boring than sitting through Lancer's English class. Her only source of entertainment was watching the various oddballs being brought in for God knows what. Tucker seemed to have calmed down after the interrogation with Detective Danville. He was now quietly fiddling with his PDA. Jazz also calmed down from the events that happened today. She was reading a pamphlet that said "How Teenagers Deal with Traumatic Events." Detective Danville gave it to her to help her cope with the murder.

The phone on Detective Flack's desk rang and Flack answered it. He then started talking to someone named "Hawkes." _'Must be a nickname.' _Sam tuned him out and went back to observing the odd crooks that were being brought in and out of the room by random police officers.

"Hey listen Hawkes. Mac is calling. I'll drop by later for more details." The mentioning of Mac's name got Sam's attention. _'Isn't he the guy Danny went with before we left GhostCon with Detective Flack?'_

Flack pressed a button and spoke to Mac. "Hey Mac! Where the hell are you? I need that last kid over here to put in an official statement."

"…"

"Holy crap Mac! You guys okay?" asked Flack now full of concern. Sam was also concerned. She tapped Jazz and Tucker's shoulders. They both looked up. Sam put a finger to her lips and then pointed to Flack, indicating for both of them to be quiet and listen.

"You want back up?" Flack asked into the phone.

"…"

"Mac did you get a concussion or something?" said Flack in disbelief. "I can't bring those kids to you. What if they get caught in the crossfire?"

_'Crossfire? Did Danny and Taylor get caught in a shooting or something? I hope Danny's okay. Wait. What? Did Flack just say he couldn't bring us to Taylor? Why does Taylor need us in a shooting? Has he gone nuts? Unless…'_

"I don't know, Mac," Flack hesitantly said, "If Sinclair gets wind of this it will be both our necks and our badges."

_'Sinclair must be the Chief of Police or something. Judging by what Flack is saying, sounds like he and Taylor are not on good terms with this Sinclair guy.'_

Flack then moved the phone away from his ear. Sam couldn't make out exactly what Taylor was saying on the other line. Sounds like Taylor and Danny were in hot water.

"Alright Mac, I'll bring them."

"…"

"Mac?"

"…"

"Mac!"

"…"

"MAC!" Flack yelled into the phone. Sam did not like where this was going.

Flack slammed the phone on the receiver. He covered his face with his hand, as if deep in thought about a big decision he needed to make. He then turned towards the trio. Both Tucker and Jazz were now just as worried as Sam was.

* * *

><p>"You kids, come with me." Flack said fast walking towards the door. The teenagers followed him, struggling to keep up.<p>

"What's going on?" asked Tucker.

"Is Danny alright?" asked a concerned Sam.

"Not exactly sure," said Flack.

"What do you mean 'not exactly sure'?" exclaimed Jazz.

They were now in the garage, getting into the car. "I mean that our friends have been ambushed by some psycho dressed for Halloween. To make things worse I got cut off before Detective Taylor could tell me where they are!"

Flack speedily drove out of the garage and onto the street.

"Perhaps those beams of light that are shooting into the sky could be a clue?" Sam asked sarcastically. Flack looked to where she was pointing. Sure enough, there were beams of pink and green light shooting in all directions into the sky.

'_Sheesh! Is she always this sarcastic?'_

Flack stomped on the gas pedal and sped off towards the flashing pink and green lights. "Hopefully it's them."

"I know those pink and green beams anywhere," Tucker acknowledged.

"You don't say?" asked Flack intrigued.

"Tucker, do you think you can shut up?" asked an exasperated Sam.

A beam of green light flew across their path, making Flack slam on the brakes.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Flack shouted. What Flack saw made his jaw drop. A blue vampire was flying –yes, flying! – shooting pink energy rays at another flying… teenager? The flying teenager had neon green eyes and white hair, which matched his black jumpsuit with a DP insignia. The teenager was firing green energy rays at the vampire. It looked like the boy was trying to protect Mac, who at the moment was looking through the trunk of the wrecked car.

Flack realized that his three charges were already out of the car and running towards Mac. Flack got out as well, following them. "Hey! Get back here!"

Sam then slowed down and walked up to Detective Taylor. "Step away from those boxes of weapons before you hurt yourself," she said.

Mac turned around. Flack winced at Mac's appearance. From what Flack saw on Mac's backside, he might have to get his back patched up at the hospital. Mac's face was dirty with dirt, soot, and whatever else the alleyways of Manhattan had lying on the ground.

"Mac! Sit down! You look like hell!" Flack exclaimed.

Mac sat down on the edge of the open trunk. "I'll live," he panted. _'That blast to his back clearly took a lot out of him!'_

"Detective Taylor," Sam said getting out a Fenton Wrist Laser. Mac turned to her. "My friends and I will take it from here."

Both Flack and Mac frowned. "NO!"

Tucker spoke up looking through the boxes sitting next to Mac. "Believe it or not but we've been doing this kind of thing for over a year. We know what we're doing. Oooooooo! The Fenton Lipstick Laser!" The techno-geek picked up what appeared to be an ordinary stick of lipstick. Mac did not remember Danny explaining that one! The Goth and the geek then joined Danny in the fight.

Jazz then got two silver belts out of one of the boxes. "Here," she said putting one on each detective. Both looked at her like she had carrots sticking out of her ears. "Fenton Specter Deflector," she explained. "It's to make sure Plasmius doesn't touch you."

"To bad it couldn't protect me from his attacks," Mac muttered to Flack.

* * *

><p>Phantom continued dodging Plasmius's attacks. Both were getting pretty tired and irritated with each other. Phantom quickly glanced down at Mac. To his relief Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Detective Flack finally showed up. <em>'It's about time!'<em>

From the ground Tucker and Sam fired lasers at Plasmius. He barely dodged them. Phantom blasted him with a ghost ray, hitting Plasmius in the shoulder. Phantom could tell Plasmius was thinking about retreating… for now. To make sure he wouldn't do more harm before his dramatic exit, Danny fired an ice beam at Plasmius's hands, freezing them. Plasmius glared at Phantom.

"It's quite clear that I am now outnumbered," Plasmius stated. "But do not fear, Daniel. I'll be making my next move sooner than you think."

With that, Plasmius faded from everyone's view. Phantom growled in frustration. He looked down at his friends. _'Well, nothing more I can do for now.'_

Phantom flew down and landed in front of his friends. Flack made the first move, pulling out his gun.

"FREEZE!"

Phantom slowly raised his hands. _'Oh, crud!'_

* * *

><p>Mac felt relief for the first time since he can remember. The blue vampire guy, or Plasmius as the kids called him, was gone but it was quite clear that guy would be back. And Danny had a lot of explaining to do. Both detectives were not happy about what just happened. Why didn't the boy tell him? What's his connection with that…thing?<p>

Danny landed in front of the group. Flack pulled his gun out of the holster and aimed it at Danny. "FREEZE!"

Danny slowly raised his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmly.

"Hurt me, my ass!" Flack snarled.

Sam pushed Flack out of the way, ran towards the boy, embracing him. "DANNY!" she exclaimed. Tucker and Jazz followed suit.

"You okay, little brother?"

"Dude, did you do what I think you did?"

Flack calmed down, putting his gun away. Clearly, this kid knew them.

"Guys, guys! Relax! I'm fine!" the boy assured them.

"Does Detective Taylor…?" Sam hesitantly asked afraid to finish the question.

Mac figured what she was trying to ask. "On the contrary, Miss Manson, I do know that's really Mr. Fenton. What I don't know is how he knows that Plasmius fellow who was just here and how Mr. Fenton was able to defend me the way he did."

"Danny! Did you reveal your secret to him?" Jazz asked angrily.

"Pretty careless of you, dude," Tucker added.

"What could I do? I couldn't let Plasmius waste him!" Danny exclaimed.

Mac turned to Flack, who was contacting paramedics and backup. He looked back to Phantom and the others. "I don't suppose you could change back now?" he asked.

"Oh, right! Sorry," the glowing teenager apologized. With that, the white haired teenager then transformed back into Danny Fenton. _'It's just like before except vice versa. I wonder how he learned to do that?'_

Flack's eyes went wide. "How…how…how the hell did that kid do that just now?"

Before Danny could even open his mouth, cop cars and an ambulance rushed to the scene. Messer, Lindsay and Jo got out of one of the squad cars and ran to Mac and Flack.

"Mac! What the hell happened?" Messer asked in a panicky tone of voice.

"It's a long story, Danny," Mac wearily said.

"I think we deserve an explanation," Jo said sternly.

"If I told you, Jo, you probably wouldn't believe me," Mac replied.

Lindsay stared at Mac and Flack. "What's with the weird belts?" she pointed out.

Both men looked down at their waists. _'I forgot I was wearing this thing.'_

"I'll explain later. Right now I need to go to the hospital."


	8. Interrogations and More Green Goo

******Okay folks! I thought that since my first final is tomorrow, I might as well update this story for those who are taking study breaks! Aren't I sweet? Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Interrogations and More Green Goo**

Danny stared at Flack in the interrogation room. Although he was supposed to be here hours ago, Danny knew that his official statement was the least of his problems. He knew Flack wanted to talk about what happened to Mac, who was currently at the hospital getting patched up. His friends and sister waited outside of the room, waiting for him. They were tired and wanted to go back to the Roosevelt for a much-earned rest. Flack only agreed to let them go if an officer stayed watch outside their rooms. They still had to answer a lot of questions.

"So," Flack started startling Danny, "You wanna tell me how you did that little lightshow?"

"Um, before I answer, is this interrogation being recorded?" asked Danny nervously.

"Nope," he replied. "It's just you and me, Daniel."

"What about whoever is behind the mirror?" Danny gestured to the mirror behind Flack. _'Good thing Sam watches a lot of crime shows. I know there's a secret room behind that mirror.'_

"Nope," Flack answered. "Your friends said you wouldn't talk if there was anyone behind the mirror. Miss Manson made a rather forceful argument."

Sighing, Danny transformed into Phantom. Flack's eyes went wide again.

"I'm a halfa. Half-human, half-ghost," Danny explained. _'I can't believe I'm telling these guys my secret!'_

"After what I've seen today, I have no choice but to believe you," Flack said. "Think you can explain how… this happened?" Flack gestured his hand up and down, wanting to know how Phantom came to be.

"My parents are professional ghost hunters. They created a portal that would lead to the Ghost Zone, which is where all ghosts live. However, it didn't work right. I went in and found the 'On' button inside the portal. The moment I turned it on," he gestured his hands up and down his body, "this happened."

Flack nodded, taking it in. "And that little insignia on your chest stands for?"

"My name: Danny Phantom."

"Danny Phantom," Flack said tilting his head. "Hmm… catchy. Fenton. Phantom. Clever." At least Flack noticed the similarities between the names, something no one else in Amity Park noticed.

Phantom changed back to Danny Fenton. "You seem to be taking this well, Detective."

"Well, that would explain a lot about this whole case. I could also tell you that it looked like your friends were hiding something as well."

"What do you mean?"

Flack folded his hands on the table. "You're part ghost, right?"

"Right."

"So that means you can communicate with other ghosts, right?"

"Yes. Where are you going with this?" asked a confused Danny.

Flack got serious. "How do you know Detective Aiden Burn?"

Danny hesitated. _'Didn't see that coming!'_ "Detective Burn?"

Flack raised an eyebrow. "So you do know her?"

"No! I mean, I don't _know_ her, but I know what happened to her."

Danny could tell Flack was starting to lose his temper. _'And I thought an angry Detective Taylor was scary!'_

"Either you know her or you don't!" snapped Flack. Danny flinched.

"Okay, I kind of know her…ghost." It sounded crazy but pretty much everything in Danny's life was crazy.

Flack gave Danny an "I-don't-believe-a-word-you're-saying" look. "Her ghost?"

"Yes, her ghost!" Danny confirmed. "She came to me last night, warning me about something happening at GhostCon, and she wanted me to look into it. I thought you said you now believed in ghosts."

Flack leaned in. "What are you saying? That I don't believe in ghosts? Like I said after what I've seen today, I'm now a believer. Now I want to know if your Dracula friend killed that Gypsy lady your sister found this morning."

Danny put up a hand, stopping him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! For starters that Dracula guy is NOT my friend! His name is Vlad Plasmius. He causes trouble for me everywhere I go. Personally, I'm pretty sure he's your killer but that's just me."

Flack raised an eyebrow. He seemed to have calmed down. He got up. "Okay. That's it for now. We'll continue this tomorrow. I need to think this over."

Danny stood up as well. He held out his hand. "Thank you, Detective." Flack looked at him questioningly. "For listening to me…and for not shooting me," the teenage halfa added humbly.

Flack smiled and shook his hand. "No problem, kid. Thanks for saving Mac. It means a lot to me and the whole department."

Danny returned the smile. "You're welcome, Detective."

Flack let go of the blue-eyed teenager's hand. "Just call me Flack."

* * *

><p><strong>Hours earlier<strong>

Dr. Sid Hammerback looked down at his newest visitor currently lying dead on his table. Ramona Smith was found dead this morning by a 17-year old girl. One thing's for sure, the way this woman died fits Samara's MO. However, since Samara is a fictional character Sid would have to rule her out. He put his breakaway glasses on and went to work.

The inside of Smith's body was something that Sid has never seen in all his years in the morgue. The first thing he noticed about the woman was that her blood was red with glowing specks of green mixed in. As a precaution, Sid got out a gizmo that detects radiation. The woman was clean. _'If the woman hasn't been exposed, then why is her blood glowing?'_ The doctor gathered some samples to be tested in the lab.

**Present**

Adam Ross came rushing into Autopsy, looking for Sid. He looked up from his reading and came rushing to the young lab technician.

"Adam, what are you doing here? What's wrong?" Sid asked. He was confused. Adam rarely comes to Autopsy.

"Mac *pant* was attacked by *pant* a psycho dressed as a *pant* vampire!" Adam panted. He clearly ran all over the lab telling everyone who would listen about their beloved boss.

"Oh my God, Adam! Is Mac alright?" Sid asked full of fear and concern.

Adam caught his breath. "He's at the hospital right now. Got blasted by some beam of energy or something but it's not serious. He'll be okay." Sid released a sigh of relief. He then looked at Adam and lifted an eyebrow.

"I know it sounds farfetched but that's what Flack told me. He just called. He finished interrogating that girl's brother," Adam explained.

"The girl who found Ramona Smith?"

"Yeah. The same one," Adam sighed. He then turned to Sid. "Is it true what everyone's saying that that girl from 'The Ring' killed this woman?"

Sid chuckled. "Well, you're not the only one who has asked that question today." He picked up one of many vials waiting to be sent to Trace. "I don't know what this is, but I'm guessing that this is what killed our Gypsy friend."

He showed Adam the vial that was filled with red and glowing green blood. Adam paled. "W-W-Wow! That's really weird and disgusting!" Sid smirked. "I-I'm going to find Lindsay so she can… get these samples from you…" Adam hurried out of the morgue. Sid could not hold his laughter in after Adam left.

* * *

><p>Lindsay sighed in frustration. First Adam came to tell her to pick up some samples from Sid. <em>'Why couldn't he just get them himself?'<em> Then the computer says that the weird glowing sample says that there's no match in CODIS. Even EDNA was useless! Her only success so far was that it matched the glowing green substance she and Messer found at the crime scene.

Messer came in. He looked at his wife. "You okay Lindsay?"

Lindsay turned and then released another sigh. "Yeah. I'm just frustrated. I'm hitting dead ends everywhere. Not even EDNA was much help."

"EDNA hit a dead end?" said Messer in disbelief.

Lindsay grinned. "Yes, your robotic girlfriend failed me," she replied jokingly.

Messer laughed. "Hey, we're just friends! You know you're the only woman for me."

"That's the same line you've been saying to our daughter."

Both of them laughed. Messer always knew how to cheer up his wife. They returned to the work in front of them. They went over the evidence again with the same results.

Messer sighed and checked his watch. "Hey, let's wrap this up and head home. Maybe a little sleep will refresh your brain."

"Alright," Lindsay yawned. "Let's order some flowers to be delivered to Mac on our way home."

* * *

><p><strong>It's short I know! It's always looks longer in Microsoft Word! Weird, huh? <strong>

**I thought I should include Sid and Adam in this chapter! I love Adam! I had to include him! For those who don't know who EDNA is: She's a robot that is like an evidence library. The CSI's use h****er to compare evidence they found at crime scenes to whatever EDNA has in store. No, I do not know what EDNA stands for. **

**I remember watching an episode where Messer finds a match in the evidence through EDNA and "flirts" with the robot. Lindsay then comes in and teases Messer about his new "girlfriend." That scene cracked me up!**


	9. Aiden and Angell

**Finals are over! Yay! To celebrate I've uploaded the next chapter! **

**I do not own Danny Phantom or CSI: NY!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Aiden and Angell**

Team Phantom was hanging out in the boys' hotel room eating room service. The officer outside their room allowed the girls to hang out with the boys until ten and then they'll have to return to their room for the night. The four of them talked about the events that happened today. Jazz seemed to have gotten over most of the shock (thanks to the pamphlet Jo gave her) but Danny knows that she'll need to speak to a professional when they got home. The four agreed that they'll try to keep this whole mess as quiet as possible. If their parents got word of what's happened (and they probably will) they'll want them to come home. The teenagers agreed that Mac and his team will need their help in this investigation since Plasmius is, somehow, involved with this homicide.

Danny explained what happened in the alley. "…Then as always, he disappeared with his tail between his legs."

Jazz still didn't understand why Danny revealed his secret to Detectives Flack and Taylor. "That was probably the most reckless thing you've ever done."

"It wasn't reckless," Danny replied defensively. "Plasmius was going to waste him! What else could I have done?"

"I don't know. Maybe transform from your hiding place?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"Taylor is very observant. You should have seen him when he looked at all of the inventions we brought. He looked at them like an archeologist looks over an old artifact. He would have figured out I was Phantom."

"I can't believe Detective Danville confiscated all of our weapons," Tucker complained taking a bite out of his hamburger.

"The alley is now a crime scene. As soon as they're done processing she said they'll give them back to us," Sam explained. She turned to Danny. "If you didn't want Taylor to find out you're Phantom, then why did you do it anyway?"

Danny hesitated. "Someone, um, motivated me to…um…fight back."

"Someone?" asked Jazz. "You said you, Taylor and Plasmius were the only ones in that alley."

"Yeah, dude," Tucker said. "Who motivated you, a hobo?"

Danny sighed. "It was a ghost."

"WHAT?" his friends and sister exclaimed.

"Not just any ghost. This was the ghost of Detective Taylor's wife, Claire," Danny whispered. He did not want the officer outside their room to hear this.

"Detective Taylor was MARRIED?" asked Sam now lowering her voice.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. She wanted to save him herself but I guess she didn't want him to see her as a ghost. Claire died ten years ago and according to her, Taylor is still mourning her death to this day."

"Tough break," muttered Tucker, earning him an elbow to his ribs by Sam.

Danny continued, "If she appeared to him, all the healing he's been slowly going through would be for nothing!"

"Wow, the poor guy," Jazz sadly said.

"Looks like he's now married to his job," Tucker jokingly said. Sam elbowed him in the ribs again and stuffed his beret in his mouth.

Danny's ghost sense went off. "Looks like we've got company."

Danny changed into Phantom and flew out the window. Sam, Tucker and Jazz ran to the window to watch.

* * *

><p>Mac walked into his empty apartment and put his raincoat in his closet that was in the den of his apartment. What a day! First a blue vampire named Plasmius who blasts him in the back ambushes him. <em>'That blue bastard owes me a new blazer!'<em> Then he discovers that Daniel Fenton is also a "halfa" as Flack told him at the hospital. _'I guess that's an appropriate name to call him that.'_

He also learned that Plasmius and Danny are obviously enemies. Flack also told him that Danny became a halfa because of an accident that took place in his parents' lab a little over a year ago.

Mac wondered if he should consider including Danny and his friends in this case but there's the issue with Chief Sinclair. Mac knows that Sinclair would never allow this to happen unless there was a good reason. Not to mention the media already has gotten word about the case and the ambush, except the part where ghosts are involved. Mac still had to answer to Sinclair about what happened in that alley. _'Always about politics.'_

The phone rang. Mac walked over to the phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Ah, good evening, Detective Taylor," a cold voice greeted, "This is Vlad Masters, Founder and CEO of VladCo."

"How can I help you, Mr. Masters?" asked Taylor. _'That voice sounds familiar.'_

"I was watching the evening news and saw that you were ambushed by that crazy, yet devilishly handsome, individual today."

_'Okay, this is already getting weird. Where have I heard that voice?'_

"Yes, it's true. However, I'm not at liberty to discuss further details," replied Mac.

"Of course, Detective! I respect your boundaries that your badge provides," replied Masters.

"So, again, how can I help you?"

"I heard from a little bird in the woods that a ghost was responsible for that little ambush this afternoon."

Mac stiffened. "What makes you think it was a ghost that attacked me?"

"When my old college buddy, Jack Fenton, read about it online he immediately concluded it was a ghost and contacted me. That is why I am offering to sell you some of my software that provides a state-of-the-art security that will protect your crime lab from any future ghost attacks. I'm sure you of all people would want to avoid something like that again."

_'So he's a software salesman. Wait. Did he say his college buddy was named Jack _Fenton_? As in Jasmine and Daniel Fenton? How does he know it was a ghost that attacked the kid and me today? He's hiding something.'_

"I'm sorry Mr. Masters," Mac said. "I appreciate the offer but it's not my place to take you up on your offer. You best ask Police Chief Brigham Sinclair."

There was a long pause. "Very well, Detective. I understand. If you happen to change your mind, please, give me a call," Vlad said coldly and then he hung up.

Mac stood there frozen. The way Masters ended that call bugged him. He hung up the phone and sat down in his easy chair. How was he going to handle this case, fight ghosts, and deal with Sinclair? Something tapping on his window broke his train of thought. Mac looked out his window to see Phantom staring right at him.

* * *

><p>Phantom flew out the window to find Detective Aiden Burn and another female ghost. She had dark brown hair with matching brown eyes. Like Aiden, she was also wearing an NYPD badge.<p>

"Detective Burn?" asked Phantom. "What are you doing here? And who's this?"

"It's okay, she's with me," explained Detective Burn. "Phantom, meet Detective Jessica Angell. Angell, this is Phantom."

"Nice to finally meet you, Danny Phantom," Angell greeted, shaking Phantom's hand. "Call me Angell."

Phantom chuckled. "Kind of ironic, huh?"

Both detective ghosts stared at him and blinked.

"You know, her name is Angell, but she's really a ghost."

Detective Burn looked at Angell. "Sorry Angell."

"So, um, did you two work together when you were alive, or something?" asked Phantom awkwardly.

Angell turned to Phantom. "Actually, I was killed in the line of duty in 2009. Aiden and I became friends shortly after I moved into the Ghost Zone."

"You can call me Aiden by the way," Aiden added.

"Okay. You want to come inside so onlookers won't see us?" asked Phantom.

The two detective ghosts looked at each other. "Sure."

The three ghosts fazed into the hotel room, startling Sam, Tucker, and Jazz.

"Hey guys," Phantom greeted his friends. "This is Detectives Aiden Burn and Jessica Angell." Both spectral detectives nervously waved at the only living people in the room (well, three in a half if you include a certain halfa).

"Dude! You're turning into a ghost chick magnet!" Tucker exclaimed. "My name is Tucker Foley. Tuck to the ladies."

Aiden, Angell, and Sam rolled their eyes. "Is he always like this?" asked Angell.

"You'll get used to it," Sam answered dryly. "I'm Sam Manson by the way."

"I'm Jazz."

"Nice to meet you all," said Aiden. An awkward silence followed for a few minutes.

Sam was the first to break the silence. "So, you were right about what happened at GhostCon today. Are you two here for more warnings? What's going to happen tomorrow? A suicide?"

Aiden answered. "Yes, there is more to come tomorrow. No, I'm pretty sure there won't be a suicide as far as I'm concerned."

Angell joined in. "That Plasmius fellow is connected to the case Detective Taylor is working on."

"Clearly," Sam said exasperated.

"We kind of figured it out when we saw him attack Detective Taylor and Phantom." Tucker added.

"After the events that happened today, I have reason to believe that he's after Mac in some way," Angell said.

"What makes you think he's after Detective Taylor?" asked Jazz.

Aiden explained. "Mac has evidence that could put Plasmius behind bars for life…so to speak."

"How did you figure this all out?" asked Tucker.

Aiden smirked. "I tracked down those talking green vultures. Angell here has ways of making them spill the beans. They sang like canaries."

"And this has to do with Plasmius's evil plans how?" asked Sam.

"Mac is known to be quite persistent," explained Angell. "You should have seen him when he was trying to track down the Cabbie Killer."

"Are you saying that Taylor's persistence is the reason that Vlad is after him?" asked Jazz.

"That and the fact that Vlad wants to destroy the evidence linking him to the case," added Aiden.

"Then Detective Taylor is Vlad's primary target," Phantom concluded. "Which means Vlad will probably attack the crime lab to get to the evidence and destroy it."

"Then we better warn Taylor!" exclaimed Tucker. "Knowing Vlad, he'll probably strike again tomorrow or the next day."

"He's right," said Aiden. "We have to warn him. Well, Phantom does. Angell and I are out of the picture."

Sam spoke up, "Uh, problem. We're under 'hotel arrest' so we can't leave."

"We can't but Danny can," Tucker said slyly.

"Yeah," Phantom was glad this plan was coming together. There was one problem. "Uh, do either of you know where he lives?"

"We're detectives," Aiden answered. "We found his apartment complex long ago."

"Awesome," said Phantom. He turned to the rest of his team. "I'll be back soon."

"Don't worry about the cops, dude," said Tucker, "The Tucker Foley Alibi O-Matic will take care of them if they ever get suspicious."

"Be careful, Danny," said Sam. Phantom paused.

"I want to at least do a little sight-seeing with you while we're in New York," she mumbled to him, blushing a deep red. Phantom smiled.

Aiden and Angell sensed the chemistry between the girl and the halfa. The two ghostly detectives grinned at each other, thinking the same thing.

Bidding the rest of his team good night, Phantom flew out of the hotel and followed Aiden and Angell to Mac's apartment building. The three of them turned invisible so no onlookers could see them. Phantom took in the sights as they flew over Manhattan: the Time's Square Jumbo-tron, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, the list goes on. Lost in thought, Phantom bumped into the two ghostly women realizing they have arrived.

"So, this is Detective Taylor's apartment building?" he asked.

"Pretty sure," said a semi-confident Angell.

Phantom flew to each window, making sure to stay invisible, to see which one was Mac's (some of the things he saw in some of the windows will not be mentioned in this story). He finally found Mac's window on the fifth floor. Phantom looked in. Mac was talking on the phone, to whom Phantom had no idea. _'Hopefully not Plasmius.'_

Mac then hung up the phone, stared at it for a moment then sat down in a chair that was next to a window, deep in thought. Phantom became visible, approached the window and tapped it. Mac looked up and saw Phantom floating outside his apartment window.

* * *

><p><strong>Awesome! Hope you're enjoying this story. I thought my might include a little DxS moment for the DannyxSam fans out there!<strong>

**Sinclair won't play a vital role in this story. He'll just be a pain in the ass like he always is! **


	10. Let's Team Up!

**Hey y'all! Chapter 10 is here! Please review! I really love hearing from you guys!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**Let's Team Up!**

Vlad slammed the phone down on the receiver. He was steaming. _'How can that ungrateful, cold-hearted detective refuse me? ME! One would think that Taylor would want my security program after my little show today. If he did buy my software, once installed and unbeknownst to him, it would hack into the case he's currently working on and destroy it. That should throw his investigation off by a few weeks.'_

Not only has Vlad lost a chance to earn money from the NYPD but he also lost his chance to destroy the evidence that connected him to the case. He was lucky he destroyed the syringe that held the ectoplasm. If he couldn't destroy the case file through technology, he would have to do it through someone else. He had to destroy it before they get a positive ID on him as a suspect.

How could he be so careless? A single drop of Danielle's leftover ectoplasm fell from the syringe he used on that so-called exorcist. He gathered Danielle's leftover ectoplasm from the time Daniel stabilized her and modified it till there was no trace of Fenton DNA so he will be able to create a powerful new half-ghost hybrid without killing the test subject. Vlad figured someone with experience in the paranormal (other than the Fentons and the Guys in White) would have been the perfect test subject. He should have known that old woman was a fraud. Maybe he shouldn't have picked someone sixteen years his senior. He would have to rethink his hypothesis. _'Oh, well. Back to the drawing board.'_

Now who should be his next test subject?

* * *

><p>Mac was startled that Phantom was floating outside of his window. <em>'How the hell did he get here? He doesn't even know where my apartment is!'<em>

He gestured for Phantom to enter. The halfa fazed through the window and into Mac's apartment. Landing on the floor, Phantom looked around Mac's apartment, surveying his surroundings.

"Nice place," Phantom complimented.

Mac glared at him. He was not in the mood for surprise visitors. Not after what happened today. "Mind telling me what the hell you're doing here?" Mac growled.

Phantom turned around, startled. "Uh…um…I need to talk to you about today."

Mac nodded, excused himself and strolled past the half-ghost, into his kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water and took his antibiotics the doctor at the hospital gave him along with an aspirin. If he was going to get a headache he might as well be prepared for it. He returned to the den and saw that Phantom was staring into the closet. _'Shit! I forgot to close the closet after I put my coat away!'_

"GET OUT OF THERE!"

Phantom yelped, flying into a ceiling corner. Seeing that he scared the teenage ghost, Mac calmed down. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to yell at you. There are some things in that closet I would prefer you didn't touch."

Phantom floated down to the floor again. "I'm the one who should apologize. Curiosity killed the cat." Phantom noticed a faint smile on the detective's face. Looks like he forgave the boy.

"I must ask you though, Detective-,"

"Call me Mac. Everyone does."

"Mac. I'm curious to ask you—and if it's none of my business, just tell me and I'll shut up about it—what's with the beach ball in your coat closet?"

Mac tensed up. Phantom could see the hurt in his eyes and panicked. "Okay! I get it! None of my business! Forget I asked!"

"That's the beach ball my wife blew up," Mac said solemnly. "I keep that there because it still has some of her breath in it. She died on 9/11."

Phantom winced. "She…died… on 9/11?"

Mac didn't look up. "Yes. She called me shortly before the second plane crashed. She told me she was all right. She wanted to help the people still trapped inside. I told her she had to get to safety first. I know she wanted to help but I didn't want her to get hurt in that hellish nightmare. Before I knew it the second plane crashed and our cell phone connection was lost. I never heard from her again. Later, I found out she died but her remains were never recovered. After all of the chaos died down, the only things I kept were some pictures of her and that beach ball. Everything else I threw away."

"Oh, man! I'm so sorry, Mac. I shouldn't have asked," Phantom said regretfully.

Mac could see the boy's eyes misting. The halfa obviously never met someone who lost a loved one on 9/11. Mac could tell Phantom understood the pain and healing that he's been going through since Claire died. _'I can't believe I told this kid about Claire. Since he's a ghost, I wonder if he's met her?'_

* * *

><p>Phantom was able to keep the tears in his eyes from leaking out. He couldn't get a grip on the sad story that Mac just told him. Phantom sighed, angry with himself. <em>'I should have known. Claire said she died ten years ago. I'm in New York City for Pete's sake. How did I miss this?'<em>

Mac sighed. "So I'm guessing you didn't fly all the way over here to hear about my past," he said changing the mood and the subject.

"Uh, yeah," Phantom stuttered. "My friends and I talked about today and we have reason to believe that Plasmius is after you."

Mac raised an eyebrow and gave him an "Are-you-kidding-me?" look.

Phantom continued. "As crazy as it sounds, it's the only explanation we've got."

"What makes you think that this Plasmius fellow is after me?"

"Think about it Mac. Do you remember him attacking me at all before I hid in that doorway?"

Mac paused and thought for a moment.

"He looked like he was about to but changed his target to me at the last minute. Why do you think he did that?" asked Mac.

"He's known about my being Phantom for over a year now," Phantom explained. "When he saw me hesitate in the alley, he must have figured I haven't told you my secret—please don't tell anyone by the way—took advantage of that and attacked you to lure me out. Of course, this is just a guess on my part."

"What do you think we should do?"

"I think we should team up. Since Plasmius attacked us, he'll probably want the evidence against him. We're guessing he's involved in that murder at GhostCon today and wants the evidence against him too. Either way, he's probably going after your lab sooner or later," Phantom guessed.

Mac nodded. It did sound crazy, yes, but it would explain why he and Danny were attacked today. Plasmius probably ambushed them to get Danny to reveal his secret to Mac.

"Plasmius unwittingly showed me what I was getting myself into. Now that I know your secret, we can use your abilities to our advantage to get Plasmius," Mac explained. Phantom nodded.

Mac then came up with a plan. "In that case I need you, your sister and your friends with me in my lab tomorrow. Jo should still have your equipment in the evidence locker. I'll call Flack and tell him the situation has changed. If Plasmius does go after my lab tomorrow I want to be prepared. You're going to have to show me how your equipment works."

Phantom stared at Mac and blinked. "Are you this serious on every case?"

"Just the ones where the killer pisses me off," Mac said seriously. "There are three things I protect at all cost: the honor of my country, the safety of my city, and the integrity of my lab. This guy has threatened my city, put my life in danger, and now he might go after my lab and the people who work there."

Phantom smiled. _'It's official. I have newfound respect for this guy.'_

"Then it's settled. My friends and I will come to your lab tomorrow."

"I'll have an officer bring you there."

"Great. Make sure you bring the Specter Deflector that Jazz gave you," Phantom walked toward the window he came through.

"I will. Thank you, Daniel."

Phantom chuckled. "When I'm like this, just call me Phantom." And with that, he fazed out of Mac's window and flew back to the hotel.

* * *

><p>It was around eleven when Phantom returned to the hotel. He knocked on the window and then fazed in when Tucker gave him the signal to come in. He then changed back into Fenton. Sam and Jazz already returned to their room for the night but Tucker was still talking to them through Skype on his laptop. Danny grabbed his pajamas and went to the bathroom to change.<p>

"So I take it the meeting went well?" asked Tucker.

"It was rough at the beginning but it went better than I thought," answered Danny through the door. The faint sound of him brushing his teeth could be heard followed by gargling. Moments later Danny came out and joined Tucker in his Skype conversation with the girls.

"So, how was Detective Taylor's?" asked Jazz.

"Pretty good actually," answered Danny. "Aiden and Angell even escorted me back here." He wasn't going to add the fact that the two teased him about what they saw between him and Sam earlier all the way back to the hotel.

"Did you get their numbers?" asked Tucker. "Or at least where they live in the Ghost Zone?"

"Uh, no. They told me that if I gave you their location in the Ghost Zone, they were going to make sure I suffered for it."

"That is living proof that Tucker seriously needs a girlfriend," muttered Sam. "So what happened? Did he believe you?"

"Well," Danny started, "He acted pretty cold towards me at first, but in the end I think he's warmed up to me."

"That's good to hear," said Jazz. "Was he still mad that you didn't tell him your secret?"

"Yeah. And after what he's been through today, I don't think he was in the mood for surprise visitors."

"Especially ones who happen to be floating outside his apartment window," said Sam.

"So what's the plan, little brother?" asked the halfa's redheaded sister.

"We're all going to the crime lab tomorrow. I'm going to show Mac how to work our ghost equipment. We're guessing that Plasmius is going after the lab."

"Do you think he's going to attack the lab tomorrow?" asked Sam.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Mac does not want to take chances. One of the things he protects with his life is the lab itself and its integrity. If he thinks that we'll be needed tomorrow then he's going to make sure we're there."

"Hopefully the media doesn't learn that kids are helping the cops investigate a murder. From what I heard today at the station, the Chief of Police isn't a very merciful person," warned Sam thinking about Flack's phone call at the station.

"Sounds like Taylor needs to find a loophole in the rulebook," said Tucker.

"Just call him Mac," said Danny.

"Okay. How are we going to help Mac without the Chief breathing down our necks?" asked Sam.

"We could each pretend we're related to one of the CSI's and say that it's 'Take Your Kid to Work Day,'" Tucker suggested.

Jazz frowned. "Let's think of something more realistic."

Danny yawned. "Let's sleep on this. I'm exhausted."

Team Phantom agreed. Tucker closed his Skype connection to the girls and went to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Walker's Prison<strong>

"So let me get this straight," Walker said. "I have my men invade this crime lab to retrieve evidence and in return you give me the Ghost Boy?"

"That is correct," Plasmius confirmed. "I guess you can say this is a two-in-one deal. The boy and the evidence will be in the same building tomorrow."

"You're basically telling me to attack a fellow law enforcer," Walker said not liking where this deal was going.

"Are you forgetting that you, Walker, are far more superior than the entire NYPD? The way Detective Taylor leads his team makes you look like a girls softball coach!"

Walker frowned. "Making me look like a fool: that's against the rules. No one is more superior to me!"

Plasmius grinned. "So, do we have a deal?"

Walker returned the evil grin. "Deal."

* * *

><p><strong>Uh oh! Well, now Danny has learned more about Claire and Mac. More motivation for our favorite halfa! <strong>


	11. The New York Crime Lab

**I loved writing this chapter, especially how Tucker acts with the other CSIs. Please review! **

**I do NOT own CSI: NY or Danny Phantom!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**The New York Crime Lab**

"What happened to you, Sam? You look like you spent the night in Care Bear Land," said a concerned Danny as the gang entered an elevator at the station the next morning.

Sam's black hair was a mess. No amount of make-up could hide the bags under her eyes. She did not look happy. "In a rare moment of pity, I let Jazz sleep with me in my bed because she kept waking me up with her screaming," she growled.

Jazz glared at her. "It's not my fault I kept getting nightmares! If you were the one who found that dead body yesterday you would be having nightmares too!"

"She also kept hogging the covers," Sam added.

Tucker could not stop laughing. Danny snickered. They both stopped when Sam gave them both a death glare.

"Sam must be related to Mac," Danny whispered jokingly to Tucker. "Both can stop a stampede dead in its tracks just by glaring at it." Tucker laughed out loud. The officer accompanying them had to hold Sam back from tearing them apart.

"Don't take it seriously," Jazz muttered to the officer. "They're like this all the time."

The elevator door opened to the crime lab. Tucker's eyes nearly popped out.

"It's like I died and went to heaven! Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming! OW!"

Sam smirked at him. "You said 'Someone pinch me,'" she said.

Jo approached the group and dismissed the officer.

"Good morning guys," she greeted. "And before you say anything else, you can call me Jo."

"Thanks, Jo," said Danny.

"You guys can wait in Mac's office. Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"Coffee," Sam requested. "Strongest you got!"

Jo chuckled and left them in Mac's office.

"Wow!" Danny exclaimed. "His office is as cool as his apartment!" He eyed a Ronald Reagan photo, along with military medals (similar to the ones he saw in his apartment), photos, framed newspaper clippings and several awards. One award, sitting on a table behind Mac's desk, stood out. It was an award for helping build the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance. Danny sadly frowned, thinking of his meetings with Claire and Mac.

Several minutes rolled by. Jo gave Sam and Jazz some coffee. Tucker was beginning to get edgy. Danny could clearly tell the techno geek wanted to explore the crime lab. They were wondering the same thing: Where is Mac?

* * *

><p>Mac was summoned to Chief Sinclair's office first thing this morning. Sinclair was less than amused. He wanted to know what exactly happened to Mac and that boy he was with yesterday.<p>

"Just what the hell were you thinking, Taylor?" Sinclair asked. "Helping a teenager pack up his _weapons_?"

"How was I supposed to know that they were actually weapons?" Mac responded. "Most of those so-called 'weapons' looked like junk that you could find lying around any household."

"Yeah, _most_, which means that _some_ were weapons! How could you let your guard down around a KID? What if that kid turned on you and shot you?"

"Because he wouldn't!" Mac yelled in response. "When I saw that kid yesterday he was comforting his sister who just discovered the scene of a murder! That shows that his sister trusts him. He also knows how the law works. He knows that it's a felony to assault a police officer."

"So do half the people we put away but they still do it anyway," Sinclair responded. "You know from past cases that teenagers tend to lie to police officers. What if this kid is lying about some of things he said?"

"I know that's always a possibility but this kid saved my life."

"Yeah, from a fruit loop dressed as Dracula," Sinclair responded skeptically. Mac wasn't going to tell Sinclair about Danny Phantom. Even if he did tell Sinclair, Mac highly doubts that Sinclair would believe him.

"And now you're telling me that these kids could be helpful in your case?" Sinclair asked in disbelief.

"Yes because it became quite clear to me yesterday that these are not your average teenagers. The way they handled the weapons against this fruit loop were equivalent to a professional," explained Mac. "If they can teach us how some of those weapons work, we can catch this guy, lock him behind bars and throw away the key."

"You're basically telling me you're throwing these children into the battlefield," growled Sinclair.

Mac had enough with Sinclair. He stood up and left Sinclair's office. "This meeting is over."

* * *

><p>Mac finally arrived at the crime lab to find four certain teenagers waiting for him in his office. He entered his office, gaining the teenagers' attention.<p>

"'Morning, Daniel, Jazz, Sam and Tucker," Mac greeted as he sat down at his desk.

"Good morning, uh…Mac," stuttered Danny. Should he be addressing Mac so casually when he's on duty?

Mac chuckled. "It's okay, Daniel. You can still call me Mac. That goes the same for the rest of you." He pointed towards the other three teenagers.

"Uh, Mac?" Tucker said nervously, "Before we get down to business, do you think you could…give us a tour of the crime lab?"

"Please, Detective?" asked a very annoyed Sam. "If he doesn't shut up about wanting a tour, he's going to be the newest member of your morgue!"

Mac chuckled. He knew she was kidding.

He gestured them to follow him. They first went to Autopsy, more specifically…the morgue. Danny and his friends paled when they saw a man in navy blue scrubs and breakaway glasses **(hint, hint!)** hovering over a dead body. Danny was horrified when he realized that it was the same one Jazz found yesterday.

The man looked up and saw he had company. "Mac! Didn't expect to see you." The man furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Team Phantom. "When did we allow school fieldtrips to the crime lab?"

Sam glared at him. Mac chuckled. "No, Sid, they're with me. Guys, this is Dr. Sid Hammerback. He's one of our medical examiners. Sid, this is Daniel Fenton and his sister, Jazz. And these are their friends Sam Manson and Tucker Foley."

The teens and the ME exchanged hellos. Sam looked at the dead body and shuddered. "Another reason I'm ultra-recyclo-vegetarian."

Sid chuckled. "Vegetarian, huh? Does that mean you'll eat eggs and drink milk?"

"Yes but I prefer not to," answered Sam.

"Well, if you think about it, the eggs that are sold in grocery stores actually have no embryo. A hen has to mate with a rooster in order for a chick to hatch. If not, Mama Hen is just laying duds for us to eat. So it technically means you would NOT be eating an unborn chicken."

"So the eggs at the supermarket: there are no baby chicks in them?" asked Sam.

"That is correct," replied Sid, chuckling at the shocked look on Sam's face. Mac rolled his eyes, knowing Sam just became a victim of one of Sid's ranting of random trivia.

Tucker paled even more staring at the dead body that was cut wide open. "Is there any reason why you've…c-c-cut her open?"

"Well, since Dr. Hawkes was unable to find a COD, or cause of death, I have to find it and any trace that's inside that might have caused her death."

Tucker fainted. Danny's face turned a sickly green when he noticed something odd about the DB's insides. "Uh, why are the insides glowing?"

"That's what I'm waiting to find out. I sent a few samples to Trace and have yet to hear back," Sid replied.

Sam gave Danny an "Are-you-thinking-what-I'm-thinking?" look. He nodded, making sure Mac didn't notice.

"Can you tell us anything about our vic, Sid?" asked Mac.

"Well," Sid started, "I know that this stuff is most likely our COD but what this stuff is, I haven't the faintest clue."

"Did you test it for radioactivity?" asked Mac not liking the way the dead woman's insides glowed.

"I did and she's clean as a whistle," Sid said. "Hawkes, however, did find an injection wound on her neck." He pointed to her neck. "This mysterious substance went straight to the brain. Completely destroyed it." Danny winced at the thought. Jazz had to struggle to keep her breakfast down.

Mac led the team out of the morgue (Sid helped Mac wake up Tucker after Sid stitched up the body and put her in the cooler) and onto Trace. There they found Lindsay working at a computer. Danny noticed that Tucker was drooling at the sight of the room.

"Hey Mac! Glad to see that you're feeling better!" Lindsay greeted. She saw Danny and his friends standing behind Mac and waved to the raven-haired teen. "Hello again Daniel!"

"Hi…uh, Lindsay?" Danny wasn't sure if he should address her by her first name like he does for Mac.

Lindsay giggled. "It's okay. You guys can call me Lindsay."

Tucker turned to Danny. "Dude! First you're a ghost chick magnet and now you're a human chick magnet! How do you do it?"

"Tucker! She's married!" Danny exclaimed. Both Mac and Lindsay laughed.

Mac continued with what he came for. "So, Lindsay, find anything on the mysterious substance in the bathroom?"

"As a matter of fact I did," Lindsay responded confidently. "The substance I found in the bathroom is a match to the strange glowing substance Sid found in Ramona Smith's body. There was also a faint amount of it in the silver hair I found in the bathroom as well."

Danny perked up his head.

"What a minute Lindsay!" Danny said urgently. "Did you say that you found a silver hair in the bathroom?"

"Uh, yes."

"Was it a long hair?"

Lindsay furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Yes. How did you know?"

Danny pulled a single hair out of his head and gave it to Lindsay. "Can you do the same thing to my hair like you did with that silver hair?"

Everyone in the room stared at the halfa. "I have a hunch about something. I want to make sure I'm right about it."

"Sure, I can do it," Lindsay said not sure where this conversation is going.

"Thanks Lindsay. I'll come back later for the results," said Mac.

"You're going to like this next stop, Tucker," said Mac. "Daniel said that you were a techno-wiz so I figured you might like to see the Audio/Visual Department."

Tucker squealed like a little girl.

* * *

><p>Mac led Team Phantom into a room where a man was surrounded by several large computers. The man looked to be in his mid-20s. Unlike the other members of Mac's team, this member wore casual clothing instead of the usual white lab coat. His face was rugged and his hair was brown.<p>

"Adam!" Mac called.

Adam jumped and turned around. His face immediately became both alarmed and nervous.

"Oh, M-Mac!" Adam stuttered nervously. "Sorry, um, did you need me… at Trace? Because if you did, I apologize! No one told me I was needed there—!"

"Adam!" Mac said again. "Relax! I want you to meet the witnesses to the murder and ambush yesterday. Guys, this is Adam Ross, our lab technician. Adam, this is Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, and Daniel and Jazz Fenton. Jazz was the one who found our vic yesterday at that GhostCon you wanted to go to yesterday."

Adam waved to the teenagers and looked at Mac. "I don't suppose you regret not letting me go early yesterday?"

Mac smirked. "I haven't regretted my decision."

Tucker then slowly approached the lab technician and then the computer. "Is this the newest Apple computer?"

"Latest model. Analyzes video and audio five times faster than the previous model," Adam bragged.

"Can it also play CDs, DVDs, and CD-ROMs?"

Adam smiled at the techno geek. "You bet! It also includes Internet, Skype…oh and all of the programs needed for processing digital evidence."

"I LOVE THIS PLACE!"

Sam rolled her eyes and groaned. "Great! God made two of them!" Everyone but Sam burst out laughing.

Mac then led Team Phantom to the DNA Lab (Mac, Danny, Jazz, and Sam had to literally drag Tucker out of Audio/Visual). There they found Messer working on the computer.

"Danny," Mac called. Both Fenton and Messer looked up.

"Messer," Mac added. "Did you get DNA from the hair you found?"

"Yeah I did, but it's not in our databanks," Messer replied. "Whoever he is, he's not from around here."

Lindsay suddenly came in out of breath. "Linds! What brings you here? Lunch isn't until 12:30!"

Lindsay managed to catch her breath and showed Mac a piece of paper. "I compared Daniel's hair to our mystery hair."

"That was quick," Mac muttered.

"They both have traces of the weird substance I found at the crime scene!"

* * *

><p><strong>It was fun writing this chapter! I had to include Sid's little trivia rants he sometimes does! The thing about the chickens is true by the way to those who hate meat!<strong>

**I thought this chapter was kinda funny! What do you think?**


	12. More Revelations

**Sorry about yesterday folks! For some reason the website was acting weird and slow! Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**More Revelations**

Mac stared at Lindsay in disbelief. "How can this be?"

Messer was also confused. "Fenton couldn't have done it."

"Yeah, Sam made sure Danny and I didn't go into that bathroom," Tucker confirmed.

"I actually agree with Tucker. Danny would never harm that Gypsy lady. He's never even been to New York until now," Sam agreed.

Mac turned to Danny. "Got any idea what this is all about?"

Danny sighed. "I might as well tell you. That green substance is called ectoplasm. It's what ghosts are made of. I immediately recognized it back at the morgue."

Messer quirked an eyebrow. "Ghosts? You're kidding, right?"

Danny glared at Messer. "No I'm not. The reason I asked Lindsay to compare my hair to that silver hair is because I wanted to make sure my hunch was correct. And since Lindsay found ectoplasm in both my hair and the silver hair, it means my hunch was correct. Your killer is Vlad Masters, also known as Vlad Plasmius."

Mac was speechless. Plasmius is the same guy who called him last night and offered to sell him security software? Mac mentally beat himself up. _'I should have known! I knew I heard Masters' voice from somewhere! He sounds _exactly_ like Plasmius! DAMN IT!'_

"You might be on to something, Daniel," Mac spoke up. Danny looked at the former Marine. "Shortly before you visited me I got a call from Masters. He heard about the ambush yesterday and offered to sell me some security software for the lab. I turned him down. His reaction was anything but warm and fuzzy."

"Yeah, I saw you talking on the phone before I came in," Danny responded. "I was afraid it was him."

"How did he react, sir?" asked Jazz.

"From the tone in his voice it sounded cold, bitter and disappointed. And please do not call me 'sir.'"

"Yep. Sounds like Vlad," said Tucker.

Danny turned to Mac. "Glad you turned down Vlad's offer…but at the same time, you added fuel to the fire. Vlad does NOT like it when people say 'no' to him. I should know; I've turned down his offer to join him more than once. He's one seriously crazed up fruit loop."

"That and the fact that he's had a thing for Danny's mom for over twenty years," added Tucker. Danny glared at him.

Mac chuckled. "Sounds like Masters desperately needs to see a therapist."

"Or he should try speed dating," added Messer. Lindsay giggled. Mac thanked Lindsay and Messer and escorted the teenagers back to his office. Danny looked around, like he was looking for someone.

"Where's Hawkes?"

"He's in the ballistics lab, but since none of you are of age we're skipping that part of the tour," Mac explained. _'I don't care how careful they say they are. I'm not risking a trip to the ER.'_

They reached Mac's office but he had other things in mind. "Guys I need to talk to Daniel alone, please."

They looked at Mac confused.

"Uh, okay," Sam reluctantly agreed. "I'll, uh, go find that Flack guy. Tell him what we just found out. Is that okay with you, Mac?"

Mac nodded and shooed her out. Jazz followed. "I'm going to get those weapons from Jo."

Tucker just dashed off to the Audio/Visual Department to no one's surprise.

* * *

><p>Danny sat down on the leather couch in Mac's desk, anxious to what the former Marine wanted to ask. Mac sat down at his desk, leaned forward, and made eye contact with the halfa. <em>'Okay. This is starting to creep out.'<em>

"Uh…am I going to, you know, show you how to fight ghosts?" Danny nervously asked.

"As soon as your sister and Jo come back with the weapons," Mac answered dryly. "First I want you to tell me everything you know about Vlad Masters and Vlad Plasmius. His strengths, his weaknesses, his fighting strategies, things like that."

Danny nodded. "Like I said in the DNA Lab, Masters and Plasmius are one in the same. Vlad got his powers when he was in college twenty years ago. He got his powers kind of like how I got mine, except my dad was to blame but that's a different story. For the next twenty years he used his powers for personal gain."

"In other words, he used his powers to become the billionaire tycoon the country knows today," Mac guessed.

"Bingo! Only two things his wealth is unable to buy are the Green Bay Packers and my mother's heart. Oh, and he also wants me as his son/apprentice."

Mac's eyebrows went up high. "Even after twenty years, he's still in love with your mother? And now he wants you to join forces with him?"

"Pathetic but true," Danny confirmed. "He is one seriously crazed up fruit loop. Although, given the circumstances yesterday, I think he's been promoted to a seriously psychotic fruit loop."

Mac chuckled and shook his head. "And I thought I had problems."

"Uh, since we've pretty much identified the killer, are you going to arrest him?"

Mac frowned and looked away. "Not yet, I'm afraid."

Danny's eyes went wide with shock. "What? Why not? You found his hair at the crime scene! That puts him there, right?"

"It means that he was at the crime scene, yes. But it doesn't mean he's our killer. We're missing the most crucial piece of this puzzle: the murder weapon."

"The murder weapon?"

"We need to find the murder weapon—most likely a syringe in this case—and somehow place it in his hands," Mac explained.

"How are you going to put the murder weapon in his hands?" asked the confused teenager.

"We need to find something he left on it, like a fingerprint or a piece of skin for example."

'_Well, that makes things more difficult. Knowing Vlad, he's probably already destroyed it. I just hope I'm wrong.'_

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Jo and Jazz were outside of Mac's office holding the Fenton Works boxes. Danny smiled and stood up.

"Better grab your team, Mac," Danny stated. "I know you said no but can we use the ballistics lab for my demonstration?"

* * *

><p>Mac reluctantly allowed Danny to demonstrate his parents' weapons in the ballistics lab. <em>'I'll just have to make sure all of the guns are put away.'<em>

The former Marine and his team were waiting for Team Phantom to finish preparing for their demonstration. Mac noticed Jo had a "this-is-a-complete-waste-of-time" look. Mac remembered that not everyone knows that Danny was half-ghost. Only he and Flack know. When the truth comes out, Jo would HAVE to believe in ghosts. Mac grinned at the thought of Jo's reaction.

Danny then approached the CSI's. He looked nervous. _'Is he going to change in front of us?'_

Danny sighed. "Well, I guess you guys are wondering why four teenagers have been wandering around your lab all morning."

Jo spoke up. "The Chief of Police is not going to like this, Daniel. If he learns that teenagers have brought weapons into the crime lab, Mac will not be the only one losing his badge."

Mac glared at her. "Not helping, Jo. The kid knows what he's doing."

"Have some faith, Jo!" Flack spoke up. "Mac and I will take care of Sinclair. When he sees what these kids can do, I'm pretty sure he'll change his mind."

"I doubt that," she replied dully.

Danny then spoke up. "My friends and I have reason to believe that your lab will be attacked either today or sometime in the days to come."

"What makes you say that?" asked Hawkes.

Jazz joined Danny. "Because the evidence you found yesterday is connected to Vlad Masters, aka Vlad Plasmius."

"Sounds like the name of a comic book villain," Messer mumbled.

"As crazy as it sounds, Vlad is actually…*sigh* a half-ghost," Danny said waiting for the outburst of laughter from the CSI's.

Jo snickered. Lindsay raised an eyebrow at the boy. Adam stared at the kids in disbelief. Mac remained calm.

Danny sighed. "Well, I guess you'll have to see it to believe it." With that, he transformed into Danny Phantom.

Everyone in the room gasped…except Mac, Flack, and Team Phantom. Well, Flack had the same shocked look on his face from yesterday. He clearly was still getting used to Phantom's transformations. Jo was speechless.

Everyone was silent until Sam broke the silence. "Oh, take a picture! It will last longer!" she exclaimed rather sarcastically. Adam pulled out his camera phone but stopped when Mac gave him a dangerous glare. Embarrassed, Adam put it away, no pictures taken.

"Listen up everyone! What happens in this lab _stays_ in this lab. No one will speak of this to anyone! Don't even _think_ about putting this on the Internet! Do so and I'll have your badge by the end of the day! Do I make myself clear?" ordered Mac. Everyone on his team got the message loud and clear. He let Phantom take the floor again.

"Now, if Vlad attacks this lab you guys need to be prepared. We have the equipment to harm any kind of ghost…including me…" Phantom said nervously.

Jo, as surprised as she was, didn't look convinced. "How do you know that it will work on these creatures?"

"Yeah, we can always shoot 'em," Messer added.

Phantom slapped his forehead. "Regular bullets can't hurt ghosts! They literally go right through them! Mac learned that the hard way."

Mac nodded. "It's true. I shot Plasmius three times. What should have been three direct hits became three direct misses."

Phantom turned to Jazz. "Get the Thermos."

Jazz grabbed the Fenton Thermos and rushed to Phantom. Unfortunately, she tripped and fell to the floor, activating the Thermos.

* * *

><p>Phantom wasn't surprised when Jazz accidentally sucked him into the Thermos…again! She's already mastered the Jack O' Nine Tails and the Fenton Peeler. <em>'Just when I thought she was able to handle it.'<em>

"What you just saw was the Fenton Thermos," explained Sam. "It captures ghosts and keeps them there until you press the Release button."

"Why a thermos?" asked Adam.

Jazz thought for a moment. "You know, I have no idea."

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Phantom cried.

Sam rolled her eyes and pressed the Release button. Phantom came out. He scowled at Jazz. "Sorry Danny," she said sweetly.

"How about you show them the Jack O' Nine Tails while I get the kinks out of my neck?" Phantom asked through his gritted teeth.

Jazz gleefully cheered and demonstrated one of her most used weapons. Throughout the next hour, the teenagers showed the New York CSI's how each invention worked. Too bad Phantom had to be used as a demonstration dummy for every one.

When they were done, both groups left for lunch. Sid and Hawkes were kind enough to stay behind and patch up Danny after he changed back into Fenton.

"In all my years in the medical field, I have never met someone with such endurance or with a rapid recovery rate such as yourself, Daniel," complimented Sid.

"I second that," added Hawkes.

"Yeah, well, it comes with the job," Danny said lazily. He was tired and hungry for lunch. He only needed a few Band-Aids here and there and he was good as new. The halfa and the two ME's left the ballistics lab and started for the lounge for a bite to eat.

Hawkes chuckled to himself. "After what Jo has seen today, she's got to believe in ghosts now!"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm just finishing the finishing touches of the story! Don't worry! The end is a few chapters from now.<br>**

**Brace yourselves! Intense chapter coming your way soon!**


	13. Hell Breaks Loose

**The new chapter is here! Yay! Now you know I'm not really good when it comes to battle scenes so please don't hate me! Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Hell Breaks Loose**

A robotic ghost with flaming green hair looked at a picture of Detective Taylor. He frowned at his next target. "Tell me again why you want me to hunt down this puny little human for you? He's not even worthy of being mounted on my wall!"

"Skulker, I told you! I need you to bring me this man ALIVE so he can be my next test subject. You see I've been doing research on this man and have found out he's been to hell and back. He has the strength and endurance of a Marine with a sharp wit to boot. He's the perfect test subject! If I inject the ectoplasm into his bloodstream and he lives through the transformation, he would be the most powerful ghost hybrid ever! Well, second most powerful to be exact," explained Plasmius referring himself as the most powerful ghost hybrid ever.

Skulker wasn't convinced. "What's in it for me?"

"I convinced Walker to lift 500 years off of your prison sentence since he will be assisting you. While he and his men keep the CSI's and the Ghost Boy busy, you will be finding Detective Mac Taylor and bringing him to me," explained Plasmius. "Plus you can keep his badge as a little trophy for afterwards."

* * *

><p>Team Phantom ate their lunches in the lounge. Jazz was sitting at a separate table quietly eating a turkey sandwich while continuing reading the brochure Jo gave her yesterday.<p>

"Being a little antisocial are we?"

Jazz jumped and saw it was just Jo who was talking to her.

"Oh, hi Jo," said Jazz.

Jo sat down next to Jazz. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Jazz shook her head. "Not at all! Be my guest!"

Moments passed. Jazz could see that Jo didn't just come here to give her company. She wanted to talk to Jazz about the murder yesterday.

"So judging by Sam's request to bring her super strong coffee, I'm guessing last night was pretty rough, huh?"

Jazz turned her eyes towards the floor. "Yeah. I can't get that poor woman's face out of my head. Last night I dreamt that she came back to life and tried to kill me. Or sometimes it's me on the floor instead of her."

Jo nodded her head, understandingly. "Trauma tend to do that to people who have witnessed extreme violence. You're no exception. It's normal for people to have nightmares."

Jazz lifted her head. "Really? I never thought it would happen to people who find dead bodies."

Jo gave the girl a solemn look. "Holocaust survivors still have nightmares to this day about what they saw in the concentration camps. School shooting survivors are the same."

Jazz's eyes widened with worry. "Does this mean I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life? I haven't read enough to know about how to deal with trauma."

Jo put her hands up to stop the girl from crying. "Jazz, sweetie, it will be alright. People who have survived violence don't always have nightmares _every_ night. My daughter, Ellie, witnessed a shooting in the subway once and she had to see a therapist for a few weeks because of the nightmares. In the end, things went back to normal. The first few nights will be rough but in the end you'll be back to normal too. I promise."

Jazz smiled at the detective. "Thank you, J—."

_KABOOM!_

* * *

><p>Danny, Sam and Tucker ate their lunches at a table in the lounge. Jo came in and noticed that Jazz was sitting by herself and sat with her.<p>

"I can't believe Jazz sucked you into the Fenton Thermos AGAIN!" Tucker exclaimed trying to control his laughter.

Danny frowned. "At least it was only once. That has to be some improvement, right?"

"Add the fact that she used the Jack O' Nine Tails on you and the fact that she almost peeled Phantom's suit off is a major improvement," Sam answered sarcastically. "You're lucky Tuck and I stepped in to finish the demonstration."

"But did you have to use me as a dummy?"

"Who else could we use? You were the only ghost available."

Danny's ghost sense went off and panicked. "Oh, no… not here. Not now!"

_KABOOM!_

An explosion burst through the window of the lounge, throwing everyone to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere. When the dust cleared, a white ghost wearing a matching white suit appeared, surrounded by about a dozen green ghosts wearing SWAT uniforms. Skulker was also a part of the group.

"Walker? Skulker? What are you guys doing here?" asked a surprised Danny.

Walker grinned evilly. "Doing a little hunting, gathering, and destroying, punk. Skulker is going to be hunting a certain human detective. I will be gathering you and proving my superiority. And the rest of us will be destroying this lab along with the evidence as well."

Danny upturned a table as Walker's goons tried shooting at the boy. He turned to his friends. "Tucker, you got any Specter Deflectors in your backpack?"

Tucker was already putting one on himself and giving one to Sam. "Way ahead of you, dude."

"Did we bring enough for everyone in the lab?"

"Hopefully. I know we brought extras for GhostCon. The boxes are in Mac's office."

* * *

><p>Mac ran into the lounge after hearing an explosion. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"<p>

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the ghosts floating in the lounge. He saw Jo and Jazz lying on the floor, under a table, scared but unharmed. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were hiding behind an upturned table.

A robot-like ghost looked at Taylor and smiled. "Looks like I've found my prey."

Knowing the robot was talking about him, Mac pulled out his gun and aimed it at the robot. He knew that his gun was useless but what else could he do? He didn't have any of Danny's equipment except the Specter Deflector.

A white ghost that was dressed in a white suit spoke to the robot. "Alright, Skulker, you get the detective. I'll take the Ghost Kid. My men will take care of the rest of the lab."

_'Who is this guy? Joe Friday?'_

Danny jumped out of his hiding place. "Forget it, Walker! You're not getting me, you're not getting Detective Taylor, and you're not destroying this lab!"

"I'm taking you down as well as this lab! Skulker here wants Taylor for different reasons. What do you say to that, punk?"

"Two words: GOING GHOST!" Danny transformed into Phantom and blasted a ghost ray at Walker knocking him to the floor.

Phantom turned to Mac. "Get everyone out of here now! Gear up and catch every ghost in this lab!"

"What about you?" asked Mac.

"I'll hold them off! Just get my friends and Jo away from these guys! My equipment is in your office. Don't worry about me! JUST GO!" Phantom ordered. He continued to blast the small army of ghosts and Skulker, making sure they didn't go near Jazz and Jo.

Skulker launched a small rocket from his armor at Taylor. Phantom flew over to him, grabbed his shoulder, and made both of them intangible.

_'So this is what it's like to be intangible. It feels cold and…tingly? Is that the right word?'_

Seeing that he was unharmed, Phantom continued fighting Walker. Mac managed to reach Sam and Tucker who were still waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Sam noticed something different about Mac. "Where did you get a Specter Deflector?"

"Jazz gave it to me shortly after the ambush yesterday, remember? Phantom said I was going to need it. Flack has one too."

"Okay. So we got you and Flack," Sam said counting her fingers. "We just need one for Jazz, Jo, Hawkes, Messer, Lindsay, Sid, and Adam. Tucker, do we have enough for them?"

Tucker checked his backpack. "I have one with me that's supposed to go to Jazz. How are we going to get it to her? It looks like we have to cross a battlefield to get to her and Jo."

Mac snatched the extra belt. "I've been crossing battlefields since before you were born. I'll give it to her."

Sam did not like this plan one bit. "Are you insane? This room is, like, a hundred times smaller than a regular battlefield! Have you even handled something like this before?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. A few years ago I stopped a group of Irish gangsters from stealing cocaine that was stored in our evidence locker. Trust me, I can handle this," Mac assured them. With that he dashed into the open, dodging every blast that was launched at him. Well, one blast singed his shirt, but he wasn't seriously hurt.

"It's like watching a World War II movie!" Tucker exclaimed.

Mac reached the two women under the table. He put the Specter Defector around Jazz's waist. He checked if both women were okay. Since neither of them reacted to the silver belts Mac and Jazz wore, it was safe to say neither of them were overshadowed by Walker or his goons.

Mac called up to Phantom. "Phantom! Put up a shield! I need to get them out of here!"

Without a word, Phantom landed on the floor and put up a ghost shield. Taking both women's hands, they dashed out of the lounge with Sam and Tucker following close behind.

Mac felt bad about leaving Phantom behind but he had to warn the rest of the lab while Phantom was holding them off. He knew the halfa would understand. The five of them ran as fast as they could, warning everyone in their path. When they finally got to Mac's office Flack was already there, rummaging through the Fenton Works boxes. He was also wearing his Specter Deflector that Jazz gave him yesterday.

"These kids weren't kidding about those ghosts!" exclaimed Flack.

"I take back everything I said about ghosts," panted Jo.

"I won't tell if you won't," Flack replied.

Mac finally caught his breath. "Are there any more of those anti-ghost belt things in those boxes?"

Flack held up about ten Specter Deflectors. "I'm guessing there used to be a dozen?"

Jazz took one of the belts and gave one to Jo. "Yeah, in the alley yesterday I gave you and Mac one so Plasmius wouldn't try to turn you two into his puppets."

"I've got it!" exclaimed Tucker. "Plasmius must have hired Skulker to hunt down Mac. Danny told us that those two sometimes team up. That would explain why he didn't attack Danny just now."

"That makes sense," nodded Mac. _'So Plasmius is after me now. The question is: why?'_

Jo spoke up. "All right but what about the ghost dressed like the Godfather?"

"Personally, I think he looked like Joe Friday," muttered Mac.

"That was Walker," explained Sam. "He is the warden of the Ghost Zone's prison."

"But he's anything but fair," Tucker added before the three detectives could say a word about it. "He has a thing for rules."

"He'll punish anyone who ticks him off and he'll do whatever it takes to do it even if he has to make up his own rules," Sam continued.

"He also hates it when other people make him look bad. Danny has made him look like an idiot more than once," Tucker finished.

"Wow, and I thought Sinclair was a nut when it came to rules," Flack muttered.

"But that doesn't explain why he's attacking the lab," Jo stated.

Sam snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Plasmius must have struck a deal with Walker to get the evidence by any means necessary. He did say in the lounge that he was going to destroy the lab and all of the evidence in it."

Flack stared at the Goth. "And that deal would be?"

It all came together in Mac's head. "Plasmius must have told Walker that if he and his men could destroy the lab with the evidence in it, he would get Phantom in return."

"And why would this Walker guy cooperate with Plasmius?" asked Flack.

Sam glared at him. "I don't know! Maybe it's because they both hate Danny so much! I don't exactly know why Walker is teaming up with Plasmius."

"Uh, I don't mean to cut this meeting short," Tucker cut in. "But we've got company!"

Skulker and two of Walker's goons appeared outside of Mac's office.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you're enjoying this! In case you're wondering, Joe Friday is a fictional detective on an old radio program from way back when...<strong>

**I'm officially done writing the story. I'm just proofreading. Hopefully the end's good enough for a sequel. **


	14. Divide and Conquer

**Almost done! FYI: Walker won't put up much of a fight! It's kind of hard when you're juggling so many characters in one story! Sorry folks! Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**Divide and Conquer**

As soon as Phantom saw that Mac, Jo and the rest of Team Phantom made it out of the lounge safely, he decided it was best to hold Walker back for awhile so he can find the case evidence, find everyone on Mac's team, get them out of the building, and kick ghost butt.

"Hey Walker! FREEZE!" Phantom shot an ice beam directly at Walker, freezing him in his tracks. Several of Walker's goons scattered, some fazing through the walls, ready to start the task ahead of them. _'Heheheheh! That has to be the oldest cop pun in the book! Now that Walker is out for now, I better find that evidence!'_

The teenage ghost saw that Skulker and two goons slipped past him and out into the hallway. Phantom wondered where they were going if it wasn't him, but then he remembered what Walker said upon entering the building.

_"Alright, Skulker, you get the detective. I'll take the Ghost Kid. My men will take care of the rest of the lab."_

Phantom immediately panicked. He tried to calm down, reminding himself that Tucker and Sam were with Mac. His friends know how to handle Skulker. Right now he had to find the case file before Walker's goons find it and wrecks the place. Mac would not be happy. The thought of Mac getting even angrier than he was yesterday frightened the halfa.

Phantom shook his head, snapping him back to the present and the task at hand. While some of Walker's goons would be busy defrosting him, the teenage hybrid would be searching for the case file. The boy turned intangible and fazed through the wall.

* * *

><p>Skulker and two goons appeared outside of Mac's office.<p>

"Give me the detective in there and I won't leave this place in ruins!" demanded Skulker.

In haste, Flack started tossing random weapons to each person in the room. Sam dashed out of the room, wearing to her delight the Fenton Wrist Ray. Jo got the Fenton Ghost Peeler. She quickly activated it, body armor surrounding her. Mac and Flack simply gawked at her.

"Tell anyone about this and I'll peel your clothes off layer by layer," she threatened. They seemed to have gotten the message. The woman followed Sam and joined the fight. Skulker launched a rocket. Jo fired at it, causing the rocket to explode. Glass from the surrounding labs shattered everywhere, glass doors included. Skulker took this opportunity and became invisible. Jo looked at Sam, with a shocked and confused look on her face.

"What happened? Where'd he go?"

A shout from Mac's office answered her question. "MAC!"

The two women turned around to find Skulker in Mac's office, holding the detective a few feet from the ground. Skulker's huge hand had Mac's neck in a tight grip. Mac's Specter Deflector was reacting to Skulker's touch but his armor prevented any damage being done to him. Flack, Jazz, and Tucker aimed their weapons at Skulker, but could not get a clear shot with Mac in the line of fire.

"Oh, man! We're sitting ducks!" exclaimed Tucker aiming the Fenton Lipstick Laser at Skulker. "I can't get a clear shot!"

The two goons restrained Sam and Jo which didn't last long since the Specter Deflectors around their waists shocked the ghosts silly.

Jo was impressed. "This is why kids should wear belts these days…"

Sam looked at Skulker with anger in her eyes. "What do you want with Mac? I thought you only hunted ghosts. What's the matter? Got tired of chasing after Danny?"

Skulker looked back at her. "I was hired to do this. Normally I would stay away from your kind altogether…well, except for the Ghost Child. But then I got a good deal from my employer and I agreed."

Mac managed to say a few words to his captor. "That 'child' has battle experience equivalent to a soldier. He can probably kick your metal ass into your next afterlife," he gasped.

"You have no idea," mumbled Tucker.

Flack was edging to suck this thing into the Fenton Thermos. The only problem was getting a clear shot.

Skulker looked at Flack and Jo. He frowned. "Don't tell me you two are the ghostly detectives my employer told me about! You both look 100% human!"

"Maybe that's because we are you son of a robot!" Flack snarled.

"Neither of you are worthy of being mounted on my wall! Not even him!" Skulker gestured to Mac who was starting to turn purple. Flack and Skulker continued swapping insults with each other.

Seeing Skulker distracted, Sam got an idea. "Jo, aim for Skulker's head. Hopefully the Ghost Peeler will affect him."

"Are you sure?" asked a skeptical Jo. "His body looks like it's made of metal."

"Well, you never know until you try!" exclaimed the vegetarian Goth.

Jo fired a direct hit at Skulker. Sure enough it only hit his head, which came right off. The rest of his armor fell to the floor. The now lifeless suit of armor released Mac. He gasped as oxygen returned to his lungs. Jazz, Tucker and Flack knelt down to assist him. Jo screamed at what she thought she done.

Sam calmed her down. "No, its okay! Look!" She pointed at the head. To the detectives' surprise there were two stubby legs poking out of the head. The two goons, who finally overcame the shock of the Specter Deflector, stared at Skulker's head, then at each other, then at Jo. She said a simple "Boo!" to them. In response, both of them turned tail and fled, screaming for their afterlives.

Jo chuckled and walked over to the stubby legged head. She knelt down and pulled out… a little green ghost? _'This is what was hunting Mac?'_ She stood up and showed everyone her prize. The little guy was squirming, trying to break free.

"How dare you treat me this way! I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter! You're supposed to tremble in fear!" yelled the little ghost with a slightly high voice.

Flack walked over to Jo and the ghost. "Yeah? Well I'm Don Flack, one of the NYPD's greatest detectives," Flack mockingly said to Skulker. "And you're supposed to go in this!" He held up a Fenton Thermos. Little Skulker became very afraid. Flack opened the Thermos and sucked in the little ghost.

"Noooooooooooo…"

Flack shut it, chuckling. "Hey Mac! Did you see who your hunter really was?"

Mac stood up with Tucker and Jazz's help. "Yes, I saw him. I'm disappointed that the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter is really nothing but a green Smurf."

Everyone burst out laughing.

* * *

><p>Phantom continued fazing through each room in the lab. Almost everyone has evacuated. So far no one from Mac's team has been sighted so Phantom assumed they made it out all right. He was glad that people were getting out of the building before the ghosts could do some serious damage. The only problem was that the boy had no idea where the evidence locker was. Mac never took him to that part of the lab during the tour. He could find Jazz since she went with Jo to get the ghost hunting equipment, but then again the Fenton Finder was also with the others. The stupid thing kept tracking down Danny no matter how many ghosts were in the area.<p>

_'Let's see… who else do I know in this lab that knows where the evidence locker is?'_

The halfa continued fazing through the lab walls until he was in Mac's now abandoned office. It was completely different from before. The glass walls and doors that surrounded most of the detective's office were completely shattered; broken glass was everywhere. To Phantom's relief, none of Mac's treasures were damaged. He saw Fenton Works equipment spilled over all over the floor.

_'I wonder where everyone went?'_

Phantom landed on the floor and cleaned up the equipment.

_'Man! This place is a mess! Wait a minute! Mess… Messer! I'll just find Messer or Lindsay and they'll take me to the evidence locker! They've gotta know where it is! They were handling evidence today!'_

With this realization, he got an empty Thermos. He then noticed that there was an empty suit of armor lying in what used to be the doorway. _'Wow! How did I miss this?'_ Skulker's ecto-skeleton lay in a heap in the middle of the mess. Phantom took a closer look. Sure enough, the skeleton was empty. This gave the white-haired halfa some peace of mind. At least they took care of Skulker. He got the Fenton Thermos out and sucked up the armor.

Phantom's momentary peace of mind was cut short when his ghost sense went off. He looked around, instantly alert. Next thing he knew, someone grabbed his ankle, lifting him upside down and shocked him with a Ghost Stinger. He cried out in pain. When the pain subsided, Phantom saw with no surprise that his attacker was Plasmius.

* * *

><p>Mac and the others split up into two groups. Flack, Jo, and Tucker went to search for the others as well as the other ghosts who invaded the lab. Mac, Sam and Jazz went to find Phantom and secure the evidence locker…and also catch any ghosts who crossed their paths along the way. Mac and Sam already caught Walker and the goons who were trying to thaw him out back at the lounge.<p>

The trio was still looking for Phantom when they bumped into Messer and Lindsay hiding in Trace. Since the Fenton Finder was not responding to either of them, it was safe to approach the married couple. Jazz each gave them a Specter Deflector.

"Mac, what the hell is going on?" asked Messer.

"We saw a green man in a SWAT uniform _float_ through the room," Lindsay explained. "I'm sorry but we couldn't do anything to fight back."

"Be happy you didn't make yourselves known," said Sam. "Otherwise you would have been overshadowed by it. Then Mac and I would have had to fight you."

"I don't think the SWAT ghost would do that even if we fought back," Messer responded. "It looked like it was running for its afterlife, so to speak."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "You don't say?"

"Yeah," Lindsay confirmed. "It kept screaming about a woman in armor is out to get him."

"Jo," Sam, Jazz and Mac said in unison.

Messer looked dumbfounded. "Jo actually fought a _ghost_?"

"Yeah! You should have seen her! She scared off two ghosts after catching one!" exclaimed Sam.

"Wow," Lindsay said.

She turned to Messer. "When we get out of here, you owe me $50."

Mac furrowed his eyebrows. "$50? For what?"

"I bet Danny $50 that Jo will believe in ghosts after Daniel's demonstration. Danny, here, didn't believe me," Lindsay explained.

Jazz interrupted them. "Uh, I don't mean to rain on your gambling parade but we have a task at hand!"

The three adults agreed. Sam suddenly clutched her ear and stood still for a moment. Then she smiled.

"Tucker says that they found Adam, Sid, and Hawkes. They're heading out of the building."

Messer looked rather skeptical. "And how do you know this?"

Sam moved her hair behind her ears, revealing what appeared to be wireless headphones. "Fenton Phones," she explained. "Not only do they function as walkie-talkies, but also filter out ghost noises."

"She gave another pair to Tucker," Jazz added.

The two scientists nodded. Well, that explains a lot. Suddenly, two of Walker's goons fazed into the room. Before they could even raise their weapons, Sam sucked them both into the Thermos.

"Nice job," Messer complimented.

"Thank you," Sam replied.

Mac turned to the group. "Danny, Lindsay! I want you and Jazz and Sam to secure the evidence locker. Find the Ramona Smith case file and get the hell out of here. I'll find Phantom."

Sam was immediately against it. "No way! We have more experience with ghosts than this entire lab! What makes you think you can go at it alone?"

"Think about it. If something were to happen to you, Jazz or Tucker, I don't think Phantom would be able to cope with it and neither would I," explained Mac sternly.

Messer recognized that tone in Mac's voice. "I think you should listen to the boss, Goth Girl. When he's like this, you better do what he says or it'll get ugly. No offense, Mac."

"None taken."

Jazz tugged on Sam. "They'll both be fine," Jazz said reassuringly.

"But…Danny…" Sam went from angry to worried. She wanted to know Danny was all right so they could sightsee together. What if Plasmius was also in the building? Then he's probably beating Danny to an ectoplasmic pulp.

"Remember how they handled Walker and Skulker in the lounge? Mac and Danny make a fierce combination. If those two fight side by side, Vlad won't stand a chance," assured Jazz.

"A ghost of a chance," muttered Lindsay. Messer chuckled.

Sam closed her eyes and sighed. She turned to Mac, looking at him with determination. "Promise me you'll both come back! I don't care about the evidence right now. I just want to see that you both come out alive! Promise me!"

Mac stared at her with an equally determined look. "I promise."

With that, the two teenage ghost hunters went with the married detectives to the exit. Sam still looked worried.

"Don't worry, Sam. Mac is just looking out for you," assured Lindsay.

"Yeah, Goth Girl," Messer joined in. "Mac looked out for Lindsay during her first days with the team. He helped me gather the courage to propose to her. I'm telling ya! Mac's got your back and he's got Phantom's. They'll be fine."

* * *

><p><strong>The penultimate chapter is next! Well, there will be an epilogue so...yeah! The climatic battle is next: Smart Marine vs. Evil Ghost Hybrid! Round 2! Ding Ding!<strong>


	15. Reinforcements

**Ta Da! The climatic battle! Hopefully I did a good job with the fight. I said it before: I am not good at writing battle scenes! Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**Reinforcements**

After seeing that his two co-workers and the two teenagers safely went to the stairwell Mac left Trace, equipped with a Fenton Thermos, a Wrist Ray, and his own gun. The former Marine surveyed what was left of his lab. He felt a strange vibe of déjà vu. The windows were shattered, some glass doors would have to be replaced, and broken glass was all over the floor. _'Now I know how John McClane feels.'_ The former Marine continued through the ruins of his lab.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Mac turned his head towards the sound of screams of agony. _'I hope that's not who I think it is!'_ He ran towards the source of the scream. Mac peeked around the corner and silently gasped at what he saw.

Vlad Plasmius was floating in the air, holding a screaming Phantom upside down by the ankle. It appeared that the blue vampire was repeatedly shocking the boy.

"I will ask you again, Daniel. Where is Detective Taylor?" asked an impatient Plasmius.

"And I will tell you again, Plasmius! I haven't seen Taylor since he left the lounge! How many times do I have to tell you to get it through your fruit loopy skull?" snarled Phantom.

Plasmius growled. He shocked the teenage halfa again. The boy continued to scream in pain and then lost consciousness turning back into Fenton.

That did it! Mac couldn't stand around and watch a minor, ghost or not, be tortured. Even though he only knew Danny for over twenty-four hours, Mac couldn't help but feel a bond with the boy. In those twenty-four hours, the two of them bonded more than either of them realized.

_'Like the parental bond I feel with Reed, I can't help but feel that same bond with this kid.'_

Mac came into Vlad's view, Wrist Ray aimed and ready to fire. "Put the Ghost Kid down now, Plasmius!" Mac yelled.

Plasmius turned to Mac. He grinned evilly. "Now why would I do that, Detective? So you can get the evidence and use it against me? You have a crime scene. You have a body. What you DON'T have is the murder weapon! Without it, Detective, I'll probably get acquitted."

Mac glared at the evil ghost. "You're dead wrong! There have been some cases where the killer, like you, gets life in prison without a murder weapon present! I can't arrest you, Plasmius, but I can arrest you, MASTERS!"

Plasmius looked shocked! How did he know who he really was? He looked down at the still unconscious Danny. Shock turned into fury as he put two and two together. He threw Danny, who was still unconscious, to the floor. Three Plasmius duplicates appeared out of nowhere, startling Mac.

_'Didn't see that coming! I don't remember Daniel telling me about THIS!'_

The four Vlads began charging up their Ghost Rays, ready to kill the boy. Without thinking, Mac fired a direct hit at each of the Vlads. All of them fell to the floor, but none of them disappeared. Mac fired again.

_'Come on! Something is bound to happen to these copies! I've set the Wrist Ray to maximum power. I followed the instruction manual Tucker gave me! Why aren't they disappearing?'_

One of the Vlads got a seriously pissed off look on his face. He fired a Ghost Ray from his pointer finger straight at Mac. It destroyed the Fenton Wrist Ray before Mac had time to blink. His wrist was slightly burned and started bleeding. He doubled over in pain.

Three Vlad copies took this opportunity to grab Mac and hold him down. The fourth Vlad, the original, approached the detective with a syringe filled with a glowing green liquid inside it.

'_Ectoplasm. Is he going to…'_

"Don't even bother asking me about this syringe, Detective. I destroyed the one that killed that Gypsy a long time ago. I'll do the same with this one…if you don't live through a little experiment," Vlad said.

"Why should I go through with one of your experiments, you bastard?" Mac growled.

"Because I need someone with great strength and endurance to become the most powerful ghost hybrid the world has ever seen. Well, second most powerful."

"And that someone just happens to be me?"

"Correct, Detective. You have enough strength and endurance that should help you survive your little transformation."

"What makes you think I have the strength and endurance to become your guinea pig?" asked Mac.

"Oh, don't play ignorant with me, Detective. I've read about the little cocaine heist you stopped a few years back. How you managed to evade jail time after you were accused of pushing a man off of a building. I also read how you stopped the Cabbie Killer and the Compass Killer. Oh, I bet you enjoyed chasing them down!"

"The only joy I got out of catching them was the fact I was able to get a good night sleep knowing that they were off the streets and behind bars," Mac stated.

"Add the fact that you were once a Marine who has been in battle makes it more likely that you will survive this experiment," said Plasmius. "If you had just accepted my offer last night on the telephone, your precious lab wouldn't look like a hurricane swept through it." He then knelt down next to the detective and prepared to inject him with ectoplasm.

* * *

><p>Danny managed to wake up. He opened his eyes to see that three Vlads were holding Mac down on the floor. The original Vlad knelt beside the former Marine with a syringe in his hand.<p>

'_NO! He's going to inject Mac with ectoplasm!'_

The raven-haired teen tried to get up but his body felt like mush. Every muscle in his body ached. He had to get to Mac before it was too late! The teenage hybrid's ghost sense went off again. A blast from an unknown source hit Plasmius in the back. Detective Angell appeared out of thin air next to the boy and knelt to the floor next to him.

"Looks like you need some help."

* * *

><p>The needle was less than an inch from Mac's skin when a green blast came out of nowhere and struck Plasmius in the back, making his copies merge with the real one. Plasmius, Mac and Danny turned to see who attacked.<p>

Mac originally thought Danny came to and attacked Plasmius, but the culprit was someone who has been dead since 2006.

"Sorry, Plasmius but the Ghost Zone isn't big enough for THREE halfas!" Aiden Burn appeared out of thin air. Mac hasn't been this shocked in a long time. Aiden looked like she hasn't aged a bit since he fired her five years ago. The only difference was that her skin was slightly paler, a smug look on her face, and she had a wispy tail where her legs should be. Knowing that Phantom did the same thing with his legs occasionally, Mac wasn't that surprised about that feature.

"Aiden? Is that you?" asked a bewildered Mac.

"Of course it's me! Who were you expecting? The Boogeyman?"

Mac noticed another ghost helping Danny to his feet. She looked almost like… "Detective Angell?"

"Surprised to see me, Mac?" greeted Angell.

"Actually, yes," Mac responded. "Did you two…"

"That was me, Mac," replied Aiden proudly. She held up a gun that appeared to have a faint green glow. "It's looks like my old gun except it functions like that Wrist Ray thing that used to be on your wrist. I just have to recharge it every night."

"Mine works the same way," added Angell.

Mac noticed that Danny was awake and smiling at the three detectives. The way he presented that smile was as if a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders.

'_Flack wasn't kidding. The kid does know Aiden. I guess he was afraid of opening old wounds so he kept quiet about the whole thing with everyone else. He probably has met Claire…'_

"Well, isn't this a touching reunion?" growled Plasmius as he slowly got up from the floor.

Danny glared at the billionaire. "A lot more touching than the college reunion you threw last year," he growled as he changed back into Phantom.

"Really? I thought it was quite entertaining," replied Plasmius.

"Overshadowing my father and kidnapping my mother is not my idea of entertainment," Phantom snapped.

The three detectives looked at Phantom in shock. "HE DID WHAT?"

Phantom rolled his eyes and sighed. "Long story."

Plasmius flew into the air and began firing multiple ghost rays at the group. Aiden, Angell, and Phantom took off into the air, blasting their way through the attack.

Mac felt useless. He wasn't used to being on the sidelines. His two dead friends and his new hybrid friend couldn't possibly defeat Plasmius who, again, created three new duplicates. Phantom was trying to figure out which Vlad had the real syringe that contained the ectoplasm. Aiden and Angell were trying to keep the copies from hurting Mac. Each ghost was firing and dodging at the same time. _'Reminds me of my days as a Marine.'_ A Vlad copy came straight at Mac and punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"MAC!"

Phantom blasted a ghost ray at the copy but it repelled it with the flick of his hand. Mac saw Phantom create a sphere of ectoplasmic energy and launched it at a Vlad copy. Mac and the Vlad copy dodged it, creating a large hole in a nearby wall.

"Sorry!" yelled Phantom apologizing. Mac suddenly got an idea.

"Aiden! Angell! Stand down!" Mac ordered. The two spectral detectives obeyed, still loyal to their former boss.

"Phantom! Make one of those energy sphere things again and wait for my signal!" barked the former Marine.

Without comment, Phantom charged up an energy sphere and waited for the signal. Mac pulled out his gun, loaded it, and prepared to fire.

"NOW!"

Phantom then launched his attack. Mac took aim at the glowing green sphere of energy and fired. A direct hit. The energy sphere exploded like a firework, pieces of it hitting the Plasmius copies. Apparently it did more damage than it looked. The copies returned to the original Vlad, who now showed signs of fatigue. He changed back into Masters. Phantom collapsed on his hands and knees in exhaustion, changing back into Fenton again.

Mac walked over to Vlad who was still struggling to stand up. Mac punched him squarely in the jaw. He went down to the floor. He managed to get up again and tried to attack the former Marine. He managed to subdue Vlad before he could even throw a punch **(Think of him subduing him Marine-style)**.

"Now you listen to me you son-of-a-bitch," Mac growled in the billionaire's ear. "I'm not going to arrest you since you're a ghost. That's why I'm handing you over to two of my former colleagues so you can be punished for what you've done! I'm sure you can serve your prison sentence in the Ghost Zone. If I ever see you near this lab again I'm going to make sure you will be begging for your afterlife. Do I make myself clear?"

Both Aiden and Angell grabbed Vlad from Mac. Angell got out glowing green handcuffs and cuffed him while Aiden read him his rights. _'Do the Miranda Rights even apply to ghosts?'_ Angell also got out regular handcuffs and cuffed him. "Just in case you get any ideas."

"As soon as you release Walker back into the Ghost Zone, we'll put this fruit loop on trial," Aiden said to Danny. "We'll explain the whole situation to Walker. When he finds out that Plasmius used him to destroy evidence in a murder investigation, he's going to be anything but happy. Do you think you can give us a copy of the case file, Mac?"

"Well," Mac hesitated. "I think I'm going to have to pull a few strings but I'll see what I can do. No promises. Personally I don't think the DA is going to believe me if I tell them that the ghosts of two dead detectives are requesting a copy of the Ramona Smith file."

Aiden raised her hands in defense. "Do what you gotta do, Mac. I do not want to endanger the integrity of your lab again."

Danny finally spoke up. "You mean when you planted evidence to catch a rapist?"

Aiden gave the teenage hybrid a dangerous look. "Whatever the media said was a lie. I WANTED to do it but I never went through with it."

Danny put up his hands in defense. "Sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything like that."

"Forget about it," Aiden said casually. "Ancient history. Well, we better get Plasmius out of here. Angell, let's get going before the portal at the Bronx Zoo closes."

The two ghostly detectives grabbed Vlad, turned intangible, and flew out of the building.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Vlad is defeated! Final chapter and epilogue are coming if you review!<strong>


	16. A New Alliance

**It's here! The final chapter! Don't worry, folks! There will be an epilogue! I hope y'all enjoyed reading this as much I enjoyed writing it!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**A New Alliance**

Mac and Danny stumbled out of the building bruised, burnt, bleeding, shocked, and overall exhausted. Everyone on Mac's team and Danny's team emerged from the crowd and gave the duo a group hug.

"What happened?"

"You look like hell!"

"Did you defeat Plasmius?"

"Are you hurt?"

Mac made them all calm down saying that he and Danny will explain everything as soon as they both got out of the hospital. With that the two of them went to the closest ambulance and went to the hospital.

* * *

><p><strong> The following morning<strong>

"So, Aiden and Angell are really ghosts?" Flack asked for the umpteenth time.

"The story hasn't changed, Don. Angell is in fact a ghost. They both send their regards to you all," Mac said.

"Aiden is a ghost! Who knew?" exclaimed Messer.

"The best part is they're opening a detective agency in the Ghost Zone," Danny concluded. "Every deceased officer and detective has a choice to work there if they want to."

Mac and Danny just returned from the hospital this morning. The worst injury Mac sustained yesterday was his wrist from the destroyed Fenton Wrist Ray. His wrist was in a small cast. Danny was treated for only small cuts and bruises.

The duo was filling them in on the events that happened yesterday. Since the lab is a wreck the two teams held their meeting in an interrogation room at the precinct. Sam, Messer, Jazz, and Lindsay managed to secure the evidence locker while scooping up the rest of Walker's goons.

"Oh man! Imagine the look on Walker's face when he finds out he was duped!" exclaimed Tucker excitedly.

"He's going to be ten times more pissed off than Sinclair, I'll bet," muttered Messer. Following protocol Flack had no choice but to explain everything that happened in the lab to Chief Sinclair, ghosts included. It took Flack an hour and a half to convince him that the ones who attacked the lab were ghosts and another hour and a half to convince him that a teenage ghost hybrid helped Mac save the day. In the end, Sinclair still didn't believe him.

Hearing her husband's comment worried Lindsay. "How are we going to convince Sinclair that ghosts attacked the lab yesterday? He didn't believe Flack. I doubt he'll believe the rest of us."

Everyone else didn't know either. Then Danny had a clever idea.

* * *

><p>Sinclair came into the interrogation room in a huff…as usual. Mac rolled his eyes.<p>

_'Enter the dragon.'_

Everyone on Mac's team was worried that Danny's plan wasn't going to work. They waited outside the room as Sinclair approached Mac. He shut the door and closed the blinds so the team can't spy on them.

"Mind telling me what the hell happened in your lab yesterday, Taylor?" Sinclair barked.

"What happened yesterday was exactly how Flack told you," Mac said calmly.

"Ghosts attacked your lab? Seriously? You trying to be funny, Taylor?" hissed Sinclair.

"Actually, I don't think Mac is a comedic kind of guy," said a voice. Phantom appeared out of thin air, his arms crossed. The look on the halfa's face was just as serious as Mac's.

"What the?" a startled Sinclair responded. He quickly regained his composure.

"Are you the pest that destroyed my lab yesterday?"

"Yours?" asked a skeptical Phantom. "Last time I checked, it was Mac's lab. And this 'pest' actually helped save _his_ lab from becoming ruins. He is head of the crime lab and, uh, you're not."

"I am head of the entire NYPD! If Mac steps out of line I can have his badge faster than you can say 'Casper the Friendly Ghost!'" yelled Sinclair.

"Okay, now you're just being insulting."

"Enough!" yelled Mac. "Chief, this young man saved not only Detective Danville's life and mine yesterday, but he also saved the entire lab!"

Phantom quickly cut in. "Uh, for the record Mac, you and your team also pitched in. I can't take all the credit."

Sinclair approached Phantom. He poked him in the chest as if he was checking to make sure the boy was real. Phantom looked quite annoyed with the poking. "Could you please stop that?"

Sinclair looked at Phantom and then Mac. "This case is closed. We'll just tell the media we caught the killer who wished not to release his name or any other information regarding the case. Understand, Taylor?"

"Do I have a choice?" Mac responded grimly.

Without another word, Sinclair stomped out of the room. Phantom changed back into Fenton and looked at Mac, worried.

"He's covering the case up? What about the lab's integrity?"

Mac sighed. "It's always about politics. He just wants this case over and done with. The information he does tell the media will just be a scratch on the surface. He doesn't want the NYPD to be the laughingstock of all of New York. Who would actually believe that a ghost was responsible for a murder?"

Danny blinked and then sighed. "I'm…sorry, Mac."

Mac turned to Danny with a confused look on his face. "Sorry? For what?"

"For trashing your lab, butting into your investigation, you almost getting killed and getting you in trouble with the Chief," answered a sorrowful Danny.

_'He's willing to take responsibility for everything I dragged him into.'_

"I'm the one who should apologize, Daniel," Mac said dryly. Danny looked at him in surprise.

"I'm the one who dragged you into this mess. I should've just taken your official statement at the crime scene and moved on and kept you and your friends out of it."

"Hey, at least the case is closed," said Danny. "Maybe I should join Aiden and Angell's detective agency. I'm sure they'll appreciate the help."

Mac looked at Danny solemnly. "Speaking of which, there was something I've been meaning to ask you."

Danny turned to Mac, ready to listen. "Flack said that you met Aiden three nights ago?"

"Yeah. She came back with Angell the following night, you know, after the ambush in the alley. They actually took me to your apartment that same night to talk to you."

_'Well, that explains how he knew where I lived.'_

Mac continued. "You've obviously spoken to the dead. Have you met my wife, Claire, in the Ghost Zone?"

* * *

><p>Danny hesitated. <em>'He really knows how to catch me off guard.'<em> He then sighed sadly, remembering what Claire said if Mac ever asked about her.

"Well, yes and no."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Yes, I've met her. No, I did not meet her in the Ghost Zone. She didn't want me to tell you I met her. You would have asked me anyway."

Mac nodded solemnly. "Yeah. That sounds like Claire."

"I met Claire in the alley during the ambush," Danny croaked trying not to cry. "You have no idea how much she wanted to save you! She wanted to help you so much, but she was ashamed of what you would think of her as a ghost. I'm guessing she wanted you to remember her as she was when she was alive. Claire was afraid that if she showed up to save you, all of the healing you've been going through would be undone. She couldn't bear to do that to you after what you've already been through."

By this time tears were running down Danny's cheeks. _'I'm sorry, Claire. Mac has the right to know.'_

Danny looked up to see that Mac had a sad smile on his face. "That definitely sounds like Claire. That also explains what you meant when you said that you promised someone you'd help me."

"Plasmius was attacking you at the time. She pleaded for me to save you. I promised her that I would save you and help you solve this case. There was always someone there to save you in the past and the one time you have no back up she turned to me for help because she knew I was Phantom and I could save you."

Mac nodded understandingly. "She was smart to ask you to help me. What she said was true. All of the healing and grieving I've been going through would have been all for nothing."

Danny could have sworn that a tear leaked out of the corner of Mac's eye. "Are you going to be okay, Detective?"

Mac released a sigh. "Eventually. I still miss her a lot but knowing she's still looking out for me gives me some peace of mind."

Danny smiled. A knocking on the door broke the mood. Hawkes came into the room. "Hey Mac! Do you and Daniel want to go out for a celebratory lunch with the rest of us? We're all pitching in."

Mac turned to Hawkes. "Give us a minute, Sheldon. We'll be right out."

Hawkes nodded and left. Mac turned back to the blue-eyed teenager. "So, after this are you guys heading home?"

"Yeah. Might as well. By now our parents probably heard about the events here in New York. We're going to have to explain everything to them…except the parts with Phantom of course."

Mac smirked. "I take it you haven't told your parents about your secret?"

"Are you kidding? My parents are ghost hunters! They want to take Phantom apart 'molecule by molecule.'"

"I'm sure they'll understand."

"I know but I'm not taking any chances. I'll tell them when I'm ready."

Mac held out his hand. "Thank you for everything, Daniel."

Danny smiled and shook the man's hand. "Glad to help, Mac. Those fighting skills you have make you an awesome ghost hunter."

"Hey, this doesn't mean I'm going to be a Ghostbuster," joked Mac. Danny laughed at the joke. _'Okay, maybe he is the comedic kind of guy.'_

Mac and Danny walked out of the interrogation room and met up with their friends. Sam, Tucker and Jazz approached Danny with worried looks on their faces.

"What's wrong with you guys?"

"We just realized that our cell phones have been off this whole time we've been here!" exclaimed Jazz.

"I have twenty text messages and thirty-five missed calls from my parents," said Sam. "All of them saying they learned about the murder the other day and want to know if I'm okay."

"I just checked my phone, and I have just as many as Sam," added Tucker.

Danny turned to his sister. "What about us?"

"My phone has over fifty missed calls from Mom and Dad. And about twenty texts! Check your phone."

Danny pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. Sure enough, his text inbox was full of concerned text messages from his mother.

Danny groaned. "What are we going to tell them?"

Mac put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "How about I tell them all about it?"

Adam jumped in. "Uh, before you do that, Mac, how about we go out for lunch first?"

"Yeah, I'm starving!" exclaimed Messer. "We can show these kids that new pizza joint that just opened up in Queens."

"I agree, Messer," said Flack. "I doubt any of these kids have had a New York style pizza yet!"

Jo joined in. "And maybe afterwards one of us can show them around the city."

Sam got excited. "Finally! A little sight seeing!"

Although she would have preferred to do it alone with Danny, she didn't care, as long as they were going sight seeing together.

* * *

><p><strong>Early the next morning; MegaBus Stop<strong>

Team Phantom was waiting patiently for their bus to come and take them back to Amity Park (they would have taken a plane, but Maddie Fenton did not want to pay extra for unaccompanied minors and extra luggage). The four of them were wearing NYPD t-shirts, compliments of Flack and Messer. Sid was kind enough to also buy them "I Love NY" t-shirts too (luckily there was one in black for Sam). Mac and Jo decided to wait with them and help with their luggage.

Danny turned to the two detectives. "Thank you for giving us a visit to New York we'll literally never forget."

Mac smirked. "I just hope the events you went through these past few days don't leave a bad impression. It would be nice if you guys came back to visit."

Danny laughed. "Us, yes. Jazz is another story."

Jazz scowled and hit her brother in the back of the head.

Jo smiled at Jazz. "I know you'll feel better, Jazz. You're a strong girl."

"Thanks, Jo. And don't worry. I'll be fine."

Jo chuckled. "Keep an eye on your brother for me and I'll do the same with Mac."

Mac and Danny looked at Jo confused. She giggled. "Those two are more alike than they think."

"WE'RE NOT ALIKE!" Mac and Danny exclaimed in unison.

Tucker laughed. "I think Jo might be on to something!"

Sam agreed. "Let's see: they're both stubborn, overprotective, they're the leaders of their teams, and they kick bad guy butt. Yep, they're alike."

"HEY!"

At that moment the MegaBus arrived, with Amity Park as its destination. The two detectives helped the teenagers load their luggage onto the bus and said their last good-byes.

Mac gave Danny, Sam and Tucker envelopes. "Give these to your parents. It will explain everything that happened regarding the case. If they have any questions, they can either e-mail me or call me."

"Thanks," they said in unison.

"I've got everyone's phone number and e-mail address in my contacts of my PDA so we can stay in touch," said Tucker confidently.

"Thanks, Mac, Jo. For everything," Danny said as he and his friends got on the bus.

The door closed. Danny sat down with his friends and looked out the window. The four teenagers waved good-bye as the bus drove away from the bus stop.

"You know, Jo, I think you're right," said Mac.

Jo looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "How's that?"

"Daniel is like me in a way. He protects three things at all costs: the love of his family and friends, the safety of his city, and the promises he keeps."

* * *

><p><strong>All right! Loose ends have finally been tied up! Mac knows Claire is a ghost!<strong>

**I had to include Chief Sinclair in this chapter. I never did like him! He's always a pain in the neck! Please review! I love hearing from you people!**


	17. Epilogue

**This is officially the end of the story! I would like to thank you all for reading and reviewing!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

As soon as Team Phantom returned to Amity Park, their parents were there, waiting for answers.

"Are you alright?"

"We texted you about a hundred times! Why didn't you call?"

"Did the police catch the killer?"

"Was there a ghost involved?"

Jazz held up a hand to silence the parents. "All of the answers to your questions are in these envelopes."

Danny, Sam, and Tucker each gave their respective parents the envelopes Detective Taylor gave them. They all opened the envelopes and read the letters that were in them. A moment passed before all six parents looked at their children, eyes wide and their mouths dropped open.

"You HELPED the NYPD catch a killer?"

"Was the killer a ghost?"

"Did you get hurt?"

"Was it scary?"

"Did you see the killer?"

Sam couldn't take it anymore. "Sheesh! One question at a time! And no, it was not scary for us! We're not babies!"

Maddie sighed and ushered Jazz and Danny to the RV. "Come on, Jack. They can fill us in on the way home."

* * *

><p><strong> Three months later…<strong>

Danny and Jazz came home from a long day at school. Tucker and Sam would have tagged along but Tucker had detention and Sam had a dentist appointment. Maddie came in holding two large orange envelopes.

"Danny! Jazz! You two got something in the mail from the New York Police Department. Did you two do something you forgot to tell us?"

The two siblings looked at each other in confusion. They each grabbed their respective envelopes and opened them. They were surprised at what was inside.

"No way!"

"Medals?"

They looked at the piece of paper that was with the medals. It basically thanked them for their services in solving the case and saving the lab. The medals were awards for bravery in helping an officer in need.

"Wow!"

"Awesome!"

Maddie looked excited. "Oh, just think about how impressive this will look on your college resumes! Jack! Get up here! You'll never guess what the kids got in the mail today!"

Jazz and Danny went upstairs half an hour later after getting enough praise and hugs from their parents to last them through college. Tucker and Sam called later saying they got the same medals and letters in the mail. The three of them agreed: they would return to New York to see their new friends one day.

Later that night, after reading the letter for a third time, Danny tried putting the letter back in the envelope when he noticed another piece of paper in the envelope. He took it out and saw that it was a handwritten letter from Mac:

_Dear Daniel,_

_ Congratulations on your award for bravery. Hopefully, you will mention your acts of bravery during your college interviews when you graduate from high school. Thank you again for your help in catching the killer, so to speak. Aiden and Angell came back and told me that Plasmius was found guilty of murdering a human at the Ghost Zone Observant High Council (Apparently it's illegal for a ghost to kill a human). Unfortunately, he's escaped back into the human world. I have no doubt that he'll come after one of us. _

_ The Thermos and the Specter Deflector have not been used since your visit to my lab, which has finally been restored. However, I do occasionally wear the belt just in case Plasmius does show up._

_ After you left three months ago, I seemed to be sleeping more often than I used to. I used to suffer from insomnia after Claire died, but now it seems to happen less frequently. Sometimes I think I see her out of the corner of my eye. _

_ I realized after you left that Jo was right about us being alike. While I protect the honor of my country, the safety of my city, and the integrity of my lab you protect the love of your friends and family, the safety of your city, and the promises you keep. Like many heroes, both real and fictional, they fight evil to protect the ones they love. I hope you continue to use your powers to do the same thing. I'm sure your parents would be proud when you tell them some day._

_ I look forward to our next meeting. Give our regards to everyone._

_Sincerely,_

_Detective Mac Taylor_

Danny smiled at the letter Mac wrote. He was going to keep this letter hidden until he tells his parents about Phantom. The raven-haired teen's ghost sense went off. Danny looked around, instantly alert. He relaxed when he saw Claire Taylor floating outside of his window. Before Danny could approach her, she winked at him and mouthed the words "thank you" to him. He waved and mouthed the words "you're welcome" to her as she faded away with the same warm smile on her face. Danny suddenly had a brilliant idea.

* * *

><p><strong>One week later<strong>

_'Another day, another crook behind bars.'_ Mac entered his apartment after another long day of examining case files and crime scenes. He gathered today's mail and noticed a package amongst the rest of it. He looked at the return address. It came from Fenton Works in Amity Park, Indiana. He opened the box to find a Fenton Anticreep Stick. He chuckled at the memory of the baseball bat.

_ "Fenton Anticreep Stick."_

_ Mac looked it over. "It looks like an ordinary baseball bat."_

_ "A baseball bat with the word Fenton on it," Danny replied proudly._

Mac looked the baseball bat over and saw that it had signatures from every member of Team Phantom. Mac smiled. He noticed a note at the bottom of the box. Mac unfolded it and read it:

_ Dear Detective Taylor,_

_ Thanks again for letting us have an unforgettable visit to New York City. We managed to release Walker and the other ghosts back into the Ghost Zone. Walker almost arrested me but Aiden and Angell managed to…reason with him. Those two can be pretty scary! Don't worry; Walker won't be coming after you anymore. When he found out Plasmius lied to him, he decided to give up on catching you (something that has NEVER happened as far as I've known him!) and is going after him instead. He says that he doesn't arrest humans anyway, especially if they're a fellow law enforcer._

_ Jazz seems to have recovered from the shock of the murder. Occasionally, she gets nightmares but she's no longer waking up the house in the middle of the night with her screaming. She wants you to thank Jo for her. I can tell they really bonded during our visit._

_ When I read your letter, I realized that Jo was right about the two of us. I promise that I will continue using my powers to protect Amity Park. Hopefully, you can visit and you can see what I have to put up with everyday. It's never a dull day here! Unfortunately, Vlad Masters is the mayor of our city. Don't even try to accuse him of murder. No one will believe you if you do (I tried accusing him of rigging the mayoral election and no one believed me). He'll probably buy his way out of jail anyway. _

_ I'm looking forward to returning to New York for a (hopefully) normal vacation. As for the ghosts haunting your city, I think you guys can handle it. Tell everyone Team Phantom says hello!_

_Going Ghost!_

_Danny Fenton _

_aka _

_Danny Phantom_

_P.S. She still loves you in death as she did in life._

* * *

><p>Mac smiled. He knew whom Danny was talking about. Knowing that Claire is still looking over him gave the detective a sort of peace in his heart. If any of those kids ever became a CSI one day, Mac wants to make sure that they are a part of his team. He looked out the window and saw his late wife's silhouette disappear into the New York City skyline.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>A touching ending if I do say so myself! Thanks again for reading! Happy Holidays!<strong>


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